


Moonlight Drive

by NightFoliage



Series: Moonlight Drive Series [1]
Category: Magic Kaito, 名探偵コナン | Detective Conan | Case Closed
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Canon-Typical Violence, Identity Porn, Kaito and Shinichi don't know about the others secrets, M/M, Meet-Cute, Mutual Pining, Post-Canon, not movie compliant, written around chapter 1030
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-08
Updated: 2019-10-08
Packaged: 2020-11-27 06:01:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 39,216
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20943482
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NightFoliage/pseuds/NightFoliage
Summary: Conan has been waiting for this day since he first de-aged all those years ago. (Almost five years!) It’s time to put the Black Organization behind bars once and for all. He may look like a kid, but he isn’t going to let that stop him from taking part in such a momentous event. However, complications arise when he turns into Shinichi during the raid. He runs, coincidentally meeting a handsome samaritan along the way.Kaito picks up some local chatter suggesting a lead to the men in black. The operation looks serious and it doesn’t look like Kid’s usual tricks will help him here. Kaito decides to do the reconnaissance as himself. Unfortunately, the operation is unpenetrable and Kaito is forced to leave empty-handed. On his way home, he meets a mysterious stranger.





	1. Shinichi

**Author's Note:**

  * For [BakaThief](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BakaThief/gifts).
  * Inspired by [beneath a waxing moon](https://archiveofourown.org/works/19023586) by [kittebasu (chanyeol)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/chanyeol/pseuds/kittebasu). 

> Author's Note: 
> 
> Update 10/09/19: [ Here's the tumblr link to the lovely art work that started it all!](https://nightfoliage.tumblr.com/post/188208239779/moonlight-drive-chapter-1-nightfoliage)
> 
> Haha, so backstory about this fic, I was a pinch hitter for the KaiShin Reverse Big Bang. Now I’m a pretty slow writer so I started pre-write some fic ideas. This was one of the ones that I continued to write for even after the event. It was inspired by @bakathief ‘s wip claims piece, so this fic will have some similarities to kittebasu’s fic (I was actually very careful not to read it, just so I wouldn’t be influenced.) Here's a tumblr link to [ bakathief's final art piece](https://bakathief.tumblr.com/post/185240793983/beneath-a-waxing-moon) for that fic. And here's the link to [ kittebasu's fic.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/19023586) Please enjoy~!
> 
> Thanks to [caliowl](https://archiveofourown.org/users/caliowl/pseuds/caliowl) for doing such a great job as my beta!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where there is a raid on a Black Organization hideout, Shinichi finds himself running, and a good Samaritan coincidentally appears. (The timing, is entirely too suspect.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Word Count: ~3.1k

\-----

Conan puts his gadgets on one by one, making sure to check each piece before securing them. It feels like he’s going to war. In a way, he is going to war against the Crows. All his investigations have lead to this tactical strike against the Black Organization. Over four years of being Conan, hiding, and chasing after their backs- no longer. 

Through a combination of several raids on the same night, the Crows would all be captured. Tonight, he would finally finish what he promised.

He finishes gearing up, looking at himself in the mirror. Conan is ten going on eleven, and still looks very much a child. He’s taller than when he first started, but not by much. He takes a good look at himself. Hopefully this would be one of the last nights he would spend in this form. 

However, a small part of him wonders if there’s anything waiting for him as Kudo Shinichi. It’s not like anything would change with his parents or the professor. His peers in his original age group have moved on and had their coming of age ceremony. Not to mention, he and Ran… were no longer- there was nothing between them anymore. 

But then he remembers that Conan hasn’t even graduated from wearing a backpack. 

Sighing, he fingers his bow tie. Focus, he has to focus. He was leading the strike on Japan's branch of the Crows and he has to be at his best. He catalogues his gadgets again: voice changing bow tie, earring cellphone, pursuit glasses with trackers and bugs, Detective Boys badge, changing suspenders, enhancement shoes, his stun-watch with flashlight…

There’s movement in the corner of the mirror. Conan notices Agasa-hakase watching him, clearly worried. (Luckily, he had convinced the man to stay out of the operation. He wasn’t sure what he would do if the professor got injured.) But the more pressing issue is Ai, who is approaching him. 

“What’s wrong, Haibara? Worried about me?” Conan says, falling into old habits. He’s expecting her to tease him back, maybe say she only needed him to come back alive, but damaged was fine. But she doesn’t do what he expects. Instead, she presses up against his back and wraps her arms around his middle. Conan stiffens as she gently holds him from behind. 

“A-ai?” He stutters out. 

She doesn’t answer and Conan goes absolutely still. She’s hiding her face in his back and he can’t see her expression. He hears her sigh and he’s suddenly afraid that she’s crying. 

“Of course I’m worried, idiot,” she says.

(Conan feels a frisson of relief when he detects no hint of tears nor sniffles in her voice). 

He relaxes, letting his shoulders sag and brings a hand up to gently pat one of Ai’s arms. “We’ve made all the preparations and I personally oversaw- erk!“ 

Haibara squeezes him hard, cutting off his air flow. “I know,” she says, voice cutting through the odd atmosphere. 

Conan stays stock still, holding his breath. Luckily, Haibara lets him go a moment later. “Don’t make me be the one explaining to them why you’re not coming back,” she says. The words comes out chiding rather than harsh. She’s worried for him too. (A voice in Conan’s head tells him that she should be). 

Conan doesn’t need to ask who she’s talking about. “I won’t,” he agrees. 

She finally looks at him, meeting his gaze in the reflection of the mirror. Her eyes are suspiciously watery and he can’t hide the concern on his face. She looks away a moment later and he does too. Ai pulls her arms away. Conan smooths down the front of his coat for something to do with his hands when he feels it. 

There’s a small case in his pocket. It reminds him of a ring case, but- 

Conan looks over at Ai who’s already walking away from him.

“Ai-“ 

“This one is extremely experimental, do you understand?” 

Conan nods. He’s built up an immunity to all of their old antidotes. He’s asked for other experimental antidotes, but every time she tells him that there are no other viable options. None that don’t lead to his death, that is. The one she’s handed over is her best one, the only one with a higher ratio of success to death rate. She couldn’t guarantee he would have 24 hours either. Still, any tool is better than no tool. 

They professor and Ai leave him to his preparations.

Conan looks over himself in the mirror one last time, the antidote sitting heavily in his pocket. 

“I’m ready,” he says to no one but himself. 

\-----

Vermouth had once compared Conan’s existence to a silver bullet. A mythical solution to a mythical beast. A quick, easy, and instant kill. 

Conan knows that reality is different. A single bullet doesn’t always kill. And it’s sloppier; the bullet can stay lodged in the creature's body, go through them, or separate into pieces. 

Conan doesn’t feel like a silver bullet at all tonight. He feels like a grenade with the pin already pulled out and his target in front of him. The operation is messy and complicated, and Conan doesn’t even want to think about how many times he’s almost killed. (That’s his fault. He isn’t supposed to be on the ground for this operation, but he came in anyway. He needed to see the end with his own eyes.) 

Even now as he’s trapped in a closet after a close encounter with death, he thinks, ‘am I doing everything I can to end this’?

The answer is ‘no’ and so despite the warnings and despite the fact that he doesn’t want to die, he takes the antidote. 

The change is instantaneous and no matter how many times he’s done this, he isn’t remotely prepared for the pain. The burning rips through him in a flash. The sensation is like being struck by lightning instead of being surrounded by fire, but his body is burning, and burning up fast. He rips his clothes off in a hurry and then vomits what little he had in his stomach. All the hairs on his body stand on end and for a moment he goes blind. His back hits the wall, his head hits the coat rack, and his hands, then face, hit the ground. 

He doesn’t know how long he lays on the ground, panting, catching his breath, making sure he’s alive, but he doesn’t stay there for long. He struggles to get up, weak as a newborn lamb, but eventually gains the strength to assess his situation. 

His vision is hazy and he thinks something is wrong until he sees smoke coming in from the bottom of the door. There’s a crackle and pop, and the closet is so warm he’s starting to sweat. An actual fire then. He manages to find an outfit that fits him (a bit small, but it’ll have to do) and puts on the gadgets that still fit: the badge, the watch, and the suspenders. The rest he’ll have to carry. 

Now that he’s in the body of an adult, the door breaks easily and when he’s out, the smoke and haze is thick in the air. He’s lucky this time, the room he’s in isn’t actively on fire. 

He’s got a mission to complete, so he darts around and tries to find something to salvage- there, an oddly placed painting. He pushes the painting to the side and reveals a hidden safe. There’s no time to crack it so he slides the safe out of its confines. (It was the right decision to take the antidote, he would have never been able to escape this easily or get the safe without being an adult). Then he hightails it out of there. 

Agents are streaming out, members of his team and Crows alike. Once outside, Conan’s team quickly separates the two groups, overwhelming the Crows. He is so impressed that he forgets what he’s wearing. 

“Freeze,” a voice says next to his ear. It’s an FBI agent he doesn’t recognize. 

Shinichi looks around for someone he knows, but the sound of a cocked gun makes him stop and wince. 

“Put your hands up.” 

Shinichi shifts the safe-

“Stop!” 

Shinichi stops. 

What a troublesome situation. He’s being treated like the bad guys he helped arrest. He can’t blame them, seeing as he is dressed in all black and obviously not one of their own (or ten years old). Even if someone he personally knows comes across him, he wouldn't be able to explain (he doesn’t want to explain) why he’s like this. He lets out a huff of laughter when he thinks about what would happen if he turned into a kid in front of the Crows and the agents.

The agent behind him growls, “What do you think you’re laughing-”

There’s a flash and Shinichi is thrown to the ground. He’s face down in the dirt and the heat against his back is unbearable. His ears are ringing and in the background, he can faintly hear people yelling and an alarm going off. 

Oh, the building must have exploded. The ground in front of him is swimming and he has no strength in his arms, but Shinichi manages to push himself up. 

The whole place has descended into chaos, but it looks like the agents have it well handled. Shinichi doesn’t want to add to their burden (at least that’s what he tells himself), so he uses the distraction to run away. 

\-----

Shinichi gets almost 25km away with his stolen car before it stops. 

It’s probably because the tank is near empty, but when the hood starts to smoke ominously, Shinichi figures the car is done for even if he finds more fuel. 

Shinichi leans back in his seat and allows himself a break, but only a short one. He’s not far away enough from the raid site. What he needs is a safe place where he can hole up until he turns back into Conan. But the only resources he has are the few gadgets that still fit him, his wallet that he owns as Conan, a Black Organization suit (that didn’t fit him correctly), and a broken down car that he obviously stole. 

Shinichi allows himself a sigh (just one). 

He’s about to sigh again, when he hears a rumble. 

He sits up. It’s supposed to be silent on this road, especially at this time of night and on this road. But Shinichi recognizes the sound of a vehicle coming his way. Could it be a Crow? An agent? An officer? Should he get out of the car and run on foot? Maybe attempt to hide? 

A glance in the mirror reveals that the approaching vehicle is too close for him to run. He would be spotted before he could get away. 

From the looks of the singular headlight and size, it looks like the a civilian motorist. (Shinichi lets out a sigh of relief when he sees that it’s not a police motorcycle.) However, that doesn’t mean the driver couldn’t be disguised. Based on their trajectory, they are heading straight for Shinichi. 

Shinichi does his best to look casual, although he doesn’t think he’s very successful. 

At least his window was rolled down, that way he wouldn’t be forced to get out of the car to talk. Hell, maybe if he’s lucky he can talk his way out of a situation for once. 

Ha. Maybe. 

The motorcycle comes closer and Shinichi is able to make out a few details about the driver. Most likely male, fit, and fairly athletic. They’re a practiced motorist, handling the bike with ease right to Shinichi’s side. This close, Shinichi can see the rider is wearing a grey riding jacket and blue jeans; comfortable, casual, and well-suited to motorcycle riding. 

That’s a good sign. The outfit didn’t rule out the possibility of the driver being a Black Organization member, but it seemed like less of a possibility now. 

The rider stops in front of his window and Shinichi reminds himself to relax and act casual. There’s still his tranquilizer watch, but it has a low success rate against the man’s riding clothes and motorcycle helmet. 

The helmet covers the upper half of his face, so Shinichi can’t get a good read on the man, but he can tell that the man look rather young. Shinichi catches his expression in the reflection of the helmet, and oof, Shinichi does not look good. He looks tired and messy, not casual or relaxed at all. Shinichi definitely looks like a suspicious person on the side of the road with a stolen vehicle. Forget about talking his way out of his situation, Shinichi would be lucky if the rider didn’t call the cops right away. 

“Everything okay?” The rider asks, head moving, obviously taking in the state of the car with it’s smoking hood. 

His voice makes him sound young, younger than Shinichi is expecting, but age meant nothing to the crows. Amuro-san was young for an agent. 

“My car broke down and my tank is empty,” Shinichi answers. He tries to paste his best ‘what can you do’ expression on, to replace his ‘everything went to hell and I’m tired’ expression. 

“That’s not good,” the rider says. The car sputters again, ominously. “Your car looks bad, and it’s gonna be hard to get a tow this late at night.”

“That’s just my luck,” Shinichi replies with a shrug. Then he mentally berates himself, that was too casual, he should have been a bit more weary and whiny. 

The rider is silent for a moment. 

Then he smiles, “How about I give you ride into town?” 

“No, it’s fine,” Shinichi says, automatically. 

It was a bit suspicious that someone was in this area at this time, just in time to offer him a ride. Going with him wasn’t a good idea. If he was involved in the raid, then Shinichi could be walking into a trap or revenge scheme. Even if he was a civilian, going with the man may put him in danger. Better for Shinichi to be on his own. He could walk if necessary. 

“I don’t think it’s a good idea to stay in your car,” the stranger says. “Your car is-“

The car sputters again, spitting out more smoke. Still not the (very) dangerous kind, so Shinichi was okay. For now. 

He looks back at the rider, who has his lips turned down in a frown. Maybe it was just a concerned citizen. Anyone with a heart would help in this situation. And Shinichi suspects that if it was someone that wanted to kill him then they would have already done so. And if it was someone who wanted to take him away then they could have already incapacitated him once they realized he wasn’t able to drive off. 

“I don’t want to trouble you,” Shinichi tries. He really doesn’t, he doesn’t want anyone to get hurt on his account. 

“The next town is a long ways away, it wouldn’t feel right to leave you here,” the rider argues. 

Ugh, a good person. Why were people good only when it was inconvenient to him? A good person wouldn’t leave Shinichi to his fate. Think, how would a totally normal civilian try to get out of this situation? 

Shinichi remembers one of his school lessons as Conan, “Would  _ you  _ just join any stranger that offers you a ride?” He says, trying to add a bit of skepticism into his voice. Not too much, just enough to come off as wary. 

The rider brings a hand up to his chin. 

Shinichi briefly wonders how this is his life. He never imagined that he would have to convince a Good Samaritan to not help someone. 

“Probably not,” the rider finally says with a shrug. 

Oh, thank god, he managed to convince him- 

The rider goes to take off his helmet. “Let’s change that then, Kuroba Kaito,” the man says with a brilliant smile. “Nice to meet ya!” 

The man grins at him and Shinichi is struck by how the moon perfectly frames his head like a halo. He has dark hair, bright eyes, and a bit of a mischievous grin. Shinichi didn’t immediately recognize the face, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t be an agent or a Crow. (Although Shinichi feels like he would have remembered such a young,handsome, and mischievous character.) 

However, Shinichi’s gut is telling him that this isn't a bad guy. Maybe he isn’t wholly unrelated to the raid, but he isn’t a bad person. 

He would take the man’s offer of a ride. 

“Thank you. I suppose I have to take you up on your offer,” Shinichi says, politely. 

“Let’s get you settled then. Where are we heading?” 

“The nearest convenience store is fine.”

While Kaito is figuring out navigation, Shinichi makes sure he has everything in order. Everything incriminating is hidden and safely tucked away and he has all his tools on his person. 

He opens the door and the car makes another pathetic noise. Wincing, Shinichi gingerly gets out. Maybe he’s very lucky Kuroba Kaito came along. 

“I’m Kudo Shinichi,” he says, offering his hand to shake. 

Shit, should he have used a fake name? No, his face is rather well-known, better to be honest. Kuroba Kaito made no sign that he recognized the name. He simply took his hand to shake it. The handshake is firm, but other than that Shinichi can’t get a read on the man. He’s wearing his riding gloves, so he can't even do an impromptu deduction. 

“It's a pleasure to meet you,” Kuroba says, all charm. Shinichi has to fight the urge to look away from the man’s gaze. 

Then Kuroba pulls out a second helmet and hands it to him. They both strap on their helmets. Shinichi straddles the bike and encircles his arms around the man. 

Kuroba makes a small noise of amusement. 

“I’ve ridden a motorcycle before,” Shinichi says, slightly flustered even though he knows he shouldn’t be. He knows how a two-person motorcycle ride is supposed to work. This is normal. (The logic does nothing to stop his heart from beating a little bit faster.)

“It’s nothing, just hold on tight,” Kaito says, but Shinichi can feel the man chuckling. 

“Thank you, Kuroba-san.” Shinichi says, inwardly sighing. He hopes he isn't making a mistake. 

“Call me, Kaito.”

Kaito’s helmet is back on, so all Shinichi can see is the playful smirk the man sends his way. Shinichi subtly moves so his face is hidden in the man’s back. Not just a good samaritan, but a charming and good-looking good samaritan. 

“Okay. Then call me Shinichi.” 

“Then hold on tight, Shinichi.”

Shinichi has only a second to tighten his grip before they’re speeding off. Only when he knows he’s not about to fall off, does Shinichi relax his arms. There’s a soft ‘whumph’ in the distance and he peeks back to see the car fall apart. He guesses this is fate’s way of telling him he made the right choice to go with Kaito. 


	2. Kaito

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaito gets wind of some suspicious activity, goes to check it out, and meets an interesting man at the side of the road. Kaito wonders why a well dressed guy is doing there (probably dumped), with a bow tie and suspenders (odd fashion choice), showing off his ankles (oh, don’t go there Kaito).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Word Count: ~3.9k

\-----

It starts with Aoko. 

Like usual, they meet for lunch after their morning classes (and isn’t it a big coincidence when he finds out they would be going to the same university, him and Aoko), when Kaito spots the worried look on Aoko’s face. His hackles immediately rise when he sees her expression. The only times he’s seen her this worried are when: she suspected him of being Kaito Kid, when Ginzo-san was going to be removed from the Kid TaskSquad, and when she started crying when she told Kaito she didn’t have any romantic feelings for him anymore. (God, that had sucked. But at least he didn’t have to feel bad about lying to her anymore. The secret that he was Kaito Kid would now forever remain a secret to her. Maybe if they had entered a relationship things would be different, but there’s no need to tell her now that the possibility of them dating is gone). 

As soon as she sits down, Kaito turns his full attention to her, “Aoko, what’s wrong?” He says, voice soft. 

Aoko shakes her head, but her eyes are already becoming shiny with tears. Kaito almost growls. Maybe they aren’t together, but they’ve been friends since they were kids. He won’t let anyone hurt her. (It better not have been the witch and the bastard.)

“Aoko-“

“Dad says he’s going to stay out late tonight,” Aoko interrupts. She immediately starts to spill everything. “But there’s no Kid heist and he asked me to stay home tonight!” 

Kaito’s eyebrows fly up. That’s odd. He did Kid heists often enough that the Inspector rarely did cases with other thieves. And if it was a Kid imposter, than Ginzo-san had no reason to hide his activities from Aoko. 

“That’s not all,” Aoko continues, “Saguru was just asked to consult tonight. He won’t be joining us for lunch.” 

Saguru too? That isn’t good. Kaito finds the fact that Saguru is keeping Aoko in the dark odd. Saguru took great pains not to worry the people in his life, often sending group messages detailing his whereabouts, or at least leaving a number in case of emergency. 

Kaito mentally curses the fact that he didn’t have any way to get information from the police besides Hakuba and the Inspector. If they are both in on it…

Whatever is going to go down, it’s big. 

“Aoko, I’m sure whatever it is, Saguru will tell you about it,” Kaito reassures. That much is true. Except for one Kaito shaped secret, Hakuba had a strict no secret policy (probably from seeing how much Kaito’s secret hurt Aoko). 

Aoko looks at him with big teary eyes. “But it’s my dad and Saguru…” 

Kaito feels himself folding like a wet castle of cards. “How about we get lunch to go and go eat with them at the precinct?” 

Aoko immediately lights up. “That’s a great idea, Kaito! Let’s get their favorites!” 

As they grab lunch, Kaito can’t believe that he is willingly stepping into a police hub. Just the thought almost makes him break out into hives. He briefly checks himself over; he’s pretty sure there’s nothing incriminating on his person. But he’ll have to be careful not to leave too much DNA or fingerprints. 

The things he does for friends. 

Because he wants to cheer up Aoko he’ll step into a building of people who want to arrest him. 

(It makes him feel like he’s making up for the grief he gave her as Kaito Kid. Making her happy is his penance.) 

As Aoko chatters on about what to get, and how it was ‘too bad Akako-chan couldn’t join them’, Kaito starts to consider the trip as an opportunity. Maybe this is the perfect chance to gather more information about what the officers two are up to. 

\-----

“Ginzo-san and I have been asked to help mobilize some officers,” Hakuba says. He tries to keep a calm face for Aoko, and seems to successfully fool her, but Kaito can tell everything isn’t what it seems. 

The inspector had been unable to join them for lunch. He’s in a meeting with a group of other high level officers. Luckily they had managed to catch Saguru before he joined the meeting and Hakuba senior had shooed his son away to join his friends for lunch. Saguru might have been annoyed if it wasn't for the fact that he is very happy to see Aoko. Apparently this case will be taking the whole day and he isn’t sure when he and Ginzo-san will be done. 

“You? Why would they be giving any authority to you?” Kaito asks. 

Aoko goes to elbow him but he manages to dodge. She must have held back because they are in front of other officers. 

“Normally, I wouldn’t have any authority,” Saguru agrees, “But with the possibility of mobilizing everyone in Division Two, Nakamori-keibu wanted someone with experience working with the team. The team acquiesced to his request and I accepted the responsibility.” 

“Eh? But why wouldn’t Dad lead the team?” Aoko asks, confused. 

“He’s being asked to help with a different case,” Saguru says. 

“Sounds dangerous,” Aoko says, the worry clear on her face. 

“It’s not. He’s only working as back-up to a- a situation,” Hakuba stutters, stumbling on the very last word. Very unlike the man. 

Ah. Kaito understands now. The ‘situation’ is so confidential that Saguru isn’t even comfortable acknowledging it. It must be something big, so big that additional manpower is needed, even if the situation must be out of Division 2’s jurisdiction. Kaito wonders if Saguru might be nervous about the responsibility. 

However, Kaito doesn’t voice those thoughts. “So what, you’re just back-up to his back-up?” Kaito asks, voice utterly unimpressed. 

“I wouldn’t put it that way,” Saguru says, holding back a glare. 

Aoko doesn’t notice the slight and echoes, “Back-up to a back-up! And Dad’s the back-up! That’s great,” she says cheerfully. 

Kaito grins while Saguru looks momentarily disheartened. He takes a sip of tea to hide his expression. 

“That means you and dad are unlikely to get into anything dangerous,” Aoko continues. 

“Ah, that’s true,” Saguru agrees. 

“Thank goodness,” Aoko says with a relieved sigh. Saguru’s eyes soften at the sight. 

“Eh? Aoko? What are you doing here?” A familiar voice says. 

They look up to see Nakamori Ginzo standing behind Aoko. Behind him, other high ranking officers are streaming out of the conference room. The meeting must have ended. 

“We brought you lunch, Dad!” Aoko says, her smile bright. She holds up the take-out for her father. 

Ginzo-san smiles back, just as wide, and gratefully takes it from her. “Thanks, Aoko! Oh, and it’s my favorite!” 

While the Nakamori’s are distracted, Saguru and Kaito excuse themselves from the table. The other two don’t notice, and Saguru and Kaito are able to slip away where they can talk in private. 

“What’s going on, Hakuba,” Kaito demands, the words completely at odds with the pleasant smile on his face. He doesn’t know who’s watching, so he can’t just shake Saguru down for information. 

Saguru’s face is neutral and he quickly looks around to make sure no one can hear them. “I can’t tell you much, but there’s going to be a police raid tonight.” 

“And it doesn’t have to do with you-know-who?” Kaito asks. 

Saguru hesitates and that’s when Kaito realizes shit must have hit the fan. 

“Not exactly,” Saguru hedges. 

“Explain.” 

“I don’t know,” Saguru admits. His brows are furrowed, as if frustrated by his lack of knowledge.

For a moment, Kaito is struck speechless. The other man always got special privileges when it came to information from officers AND he’s a detective. It isn’t in Saguru’s nature not to know something.

“What do you mean, ‘you don’t know’?” Kaito echoes. 

“It’s a case where the FBI and the Secret Police are involved. The police are being brought in as a precaution to help capture their target. Something about ‘mysterious members in black’,” he says. 

Kaito can feel all the color leave his face. Poker face, Kaito has to keep his poker face. It takes everything he has to stay still, even though all he wants to do is start demanding more information. Instead he continues smiling even though his hands are shaking. People in black. Snake. 

Whether or not Snake is involved, Kaito can’t pass on the opportunity for more information. He has to go check things out. 

“When.” 

“Kuroba-“ 

“When, Hakuba.” 

“Didn’t you just hear me?” Saguru’s expression falters, his brows relax and he looks concerned. “This is out of the police’s hands. The FBI are leading with the secret police, and then the police are being used as manpower. Even Division 2 is just a security blanket.” 

Kaito chuckles, keeping his poker face. But the laugh is more cruel and he isn’t amused. “I’ll take my chances, now tell me what I need to know.” 

“Kaito-” 

Now that almost makes his poker face break. Saguru looks at him, clearly worried. When they’re like this, more Kid and Detective than friends, Saguru never uses his first name. Even after leaving their high school immaturity behind them, it helped keeping up their faux rivalry because it gave them a little distance from their convoluted situations

In reality there’s no bad blood between them. After Saguru got together with Aoko, most of the bad feelings between them were gone (most of the work had already been done when Kaito and Aoko had talked about their feelings). And because Saguru was dating Aoko, his burning need to arrest Kaito Kid was close to non-existent (although the detective never held back during heists). 

For him to use his first name now… 

“Just tell me everything you know, Saguru,” Kaito says softly. 

Saguru relaxes, recognizing the words for the victory they are. Kaito would not be running into the fray, with no plan and no back-up. 

“Here are the basics…” 

And Saguru turns back into Detective Hakuba, and Kaito turns back into Kuroba. Saguru starts outlining everything he knows, from the collaboration between the different departments and agencies, to their extensive supply preparation. All of it is being gathered in one day and the operation is to start in a few hours. As Kaito listens he realizes the operation is so much larger than what he was expecting. He would have to work fast to be able to prepare for tonight. 

Just what is happening? 

\-----

Kaito slips out on his motorcycle in the dead of the night. 

He has to hide the activity from both Aoko and Jii, so part of his journey is sneaking out without alerting the still awake Aoko. There’s no way he’s letting them know about his plans. (His only concession is an alarm that will alert Jii to his whereabouts if he doesn’t turn it off in time. He has several set-up over the course of the night. Not part of usual actions, but he knows that things could go wrong tonight.)

His plan is to go later than the start of the raid, when the police would be preoccupied. Maybe he would be able to sneak in and gather information when they aren’t looking. Simple and flexible is best for this plan, especially when he doesn’t know what to expect. He’ll drive as close to the site as possible and see what he’s up against. 

Saguru had speculated where the least patrolled areas would be (he felt only a little guilty over using the information given to him, but the detective should have known him better by now) and he would use that information to sneak in. It’s a plan well suited to a one-man operation and Kaito told himself it’s best that he didn’t bring or inform Jii. (Though he couldn’t quite shake off the guilt.)

The drive is rather lonesome once he leaves the Ekoda area. His only company is the full moon. He appreciates the soft, bright light, but in some ways it makes his journey even lonelier. Normally he would be taking advantage of this phase of the moon for a heist (it made for a dramatic backdrop to his magic), but exams had him studying instead. It’s sad, yet appropriate, that he’s coming out on a full moon not for a heist, but to take on the mystery that is the men in black.

When he’s still quite a distance away from the site, Kaito whistles when he spots the signs of a police blockade. Luckily there aren’t any officers in sight; the area is probably too large to guard. But he’s going to have to go on foot for a longer distance then he was expecting. 

Kaito hides his motorcycle and changes into a more discreet outfit. He makes his way to his destination, trying to move as fast as he can. 

The moonlight makes him wary. The moon is so bright that he didn’t need a flashlight to move in the darkness. But now a flashlight wouldn't be needed to spot Kaito crawling on the ground. This is where he would make full use of his sneaking and camouflage ability. Kilometer by kilometer he makes his way there. He’s still pretty far off when he can see signs of the operation. 

The smoke from the fire is clearly visible, the moon lighting up the plume that was climbing into the sky. As Kaito gets closer he has to dodge a few patrols and lookouts. Most are concerned with the fire (and with good reason, it’s huge). Not to mention they’re looking for people sneaking out, not sneaking in. 

Kaito gets as close as he can and takes in the sight in front of him. A large industrial base is burning to the ground. Even though it’s clearly made with cement and glass, parts of the building are already destroyed and unstructurally sound. Hundreds maybe thousands of people are around the building, many of them wearing all-black outfits, trussed up on the ground by the other officers. Kaito can easily spot the other agencies by their not-black outfits. 

Kaito curses. 

There’s no way he can sneak in now, there are way too many people watching the building. Even if he can get past them, there is no guarantee that any information survived the fire. 

Kaito left as quietly as he came in and as empty-handed. Except for questions. He has more questions than when he started, and no answers. 

Kaito needs to know if those people in black are associated with the men who killed his father. But how is he going to get that information? 

On his way back home, he starts going through the possible ways to gather more information. He could probably use his connections to Hakuba and Nakamori-keibu to get access. (Although they were only back-ups and were unlikely to have much information.) He could do a heist and hit the police office for information. (But if the FBI are controlling the operation, who is to say that they wouldn’t be the ones holding onto the information? They could be bringing it to America right now.)

So wrapped up in his thoughts, Kaito almost didn’t notice the car on the side of the road. Odd. The road had been pretty empty on the way here. 

As he gets closer he notices a few things about the car: one, the model of the car screams undercover cop, and two, the car is smoking. 

It couldn’t be...

There’s no way he’s that lucky, is he?

Kaito begins to drive closer. 

There are a few possible scenarios here: one, the driver is totally innocent and their car broke down. It’s the middle of the night in the middle of nowhere, so they wouldn’t be able to call a tow truck or a ride. (Although plausible, Kaito is extremely suspect of the timing of it all. Any other night maybe he would believe that it’s a coincidence, but not tonight.) Two, they’re a law enforcement member and are leaving early for some reason and their car broke down. (Again, possible, but it seems odd they wouldn’t call for back-up from the agents at the site.) And three… They’re an escapee from the organization that’s being hunted. 

Kaito smirks. Well, as long as the people inside aren’t the first scenario (and if they are innocent, he can't just leave them here) then he could gather more information. Two out of three is pretty good odds. This is his chance. 

Kaito pulls up to the car and notices a single person sitting inside. Since they don’t start shooting him right away, he figures he’ll survive this encounter just fine. 

The first thing Kaito notices is that the guy is smoking hot. Young, around his age, and has the secret agent vibe going for him.

And the second thing, uh oh, from what Kaito can see, the man is wearing an all black outfit. Black suit, black shirt, black bow tie, and black suspenders?

However, the man didn’t shoot him right away even when he stopped his bike next to the car. Instead, the mystery man keeps his hands out where Kaito can see them. If the man is an escapee then they would have shot him right away and stolen his ride. But why wear all black? None of the law enforcement agents wore any black. Maybe the man didn’t have a gun and is going to kill Kaito by force. 

“Everything okay?” Kaito asks. 

The other man grimaces at his car. “My car broke down and my tank is empty,” he answers with a tired smile. The expression is so human, Kaito wonders if maybe he’s got the wrong impression. Snake and his cronies were always so- dastardly and villainous. 

Kaito mentally shakes the thought away. Remember, the guy is very suspicious and possibly a criminal. “That’s not good,” he replies, keeping his tone sympathetic. The car chooses that moment to sputter dramatically. “Your car looks bad, and it’s gonna be hard to get a tow this late at night.”

“That’s just my luck,” the other says with a weary sort of shrug. A ‘what can you do’ gesture. Kaito knows that feeling intimately. 

“How about I give you ride into town?” Kaito asks. The words are out of his mouth before he can reconsider the offer. In the end it doesn’t matter because this will ultimately prove what the man is, once and for all. 

“No, it’s fine,” the man quickly says. 

Eh? If he’s an escapee he should be using this as a chance to approach Kaito and steal his bike. Could the man be an innocent like he thought? Or maybe, the man is a law enforcement agent, and is being sent home because he’s wearing an all black outfit. That seems plausible, too. 

“I don’t think it’s a good idea to stay in your car,” Kaito says, trying to get a read on the other man. “Your car is-“

The car chooses that moment to sputter again, more smoke spilling out the hood. Kaito jumps at the sight. That really didn’t look good. Maybe they should both be moving away from the car. 

“I don’t want to trouble you,” the man says, politely. A little too polite if you ask Kaito. So polite it was suspicious. 

“The next town is a long ways away, it wouldn’t feel right to leave you here,” Kaito says, trying for the good samaritan angle. 

The man seems to balk at that, unable to argue with Kaito’s logic. Then he says, “Would  _ you  _ just join any stranger that offers you a ride?” 

Okay, so maybe it's suspicious of Kaito to make the offer. What can he say to turn things around… 

“Probably not,” Kaito says with a shrug, watching the man’s expression. The man looks relieved (again, suspicious). Then Kaito takes off his helmet. “Let’s change that then- Kuroba Kaito, nice to meet ya!” 

Kaito grins at the man and feels a jolt of pleasure when the other man is speechless at the sight of him. They quickly school his face back into something a little more casual, but he can’t fool Kaito’s eyes. 

“Thank you,” the man says. “I suppose I have to take you up on your offer.”

Kaito holds back a smirk. “Let’s get you settled then. Where are we heading?” 

“The nearest convenience store is fine,” the other man says, quickly. 

Kaito makes a show of looking up directions for the nearest store (he doesn’t really need them, he already mapped out the area in his head when planning this endeavor), and watches the other man out of the corner of his eye. The other man is doing a quick check of the inside of his car and Kaito wonders if he should come back to search the thing later. He makes a quick mental note on the car’s current position. 

Then the other man steps out of the car while the car makes another pathetic noise. Ugh, Kaito wants to get out of the area and away from that hazard. 

Then as the man approaches, Kaito prepares for a fight. 

(Kaito gives the man a quick up-down, just to see what the man’s packing- er- might be hiding, ahem. He- fills out the suit nicely. He even makes the suspenders and bow-tie endearing rather than a fashion disaster. Then Kaito sees the rest of the outfit; pressed black pants and black loafers. No socks though, and his pants are a bit short, which treats Kaito to the sight of the man’s delicate ankles- Kaito looks away once he determines the man most likely does not have a concealed firearm.)

“I’m Kudo Shinichi,” the man says and offers Kaito his hand to shake. 

Kaito readies himself. 

However, all he gets is a firm handshake (and what nice hands they are, he's a little disappointed in himself for wearing gloves). This close up Kaito can see the man’s clear eyes. He looks good in the moonlight. But this close Kaito can also see that the man has deep bags under his eyes and that he smells of smoke. 

Unlikely to be a civilian, but no gun, and he still didn’t take the chance to off Kaito, so Kaito thinks the chances of Kudo Shinichi being a law enforcement agent are quite high. 

Although the name sounds a little familiar, but he wonders if it’s just the pun. Maybe he’ll get a chance to look up the name later. 

“It's a pleasure to meet you,” Kaito flirts. He can’t help himself, but luckily the man doesn’t seem to object to his advances. 

Kaito pulls himself together. He’s here for information, not to flirt, and he grabs a helmet for Shinichi. They pull their helmets on and Kaito is surprised when the other man immediately gets on and holds onto him tightly. 

Oh?

“I’ve ridden a motorcycle before,” the man defends. Kaito must have made a noise aloud. He’s not teasing (well, maybe a little), but he finds it interesting how easily the man decided to hold onto him. Most would hesitate even if they know what to do. 

“It’s nothing, just hold on tight,” Kaito says, amused. 

“Thank you, Kuroba-san,” Kudo Shinichi says, politely. 

Well, that isn’t right. “Call me, Kaito,” he offers, looking over his shoulder. 

The man hides his face so Kaito can’t see his expression. “Okay. Then call me Shinichi.” 

Kaito feels a thrill at being able to use the other’s name. “Then hold on tight, Shinichi.”

Kaito speeds off. Shinichi clings onto him and Kaito can’t hold back the burst of warmth that goes off inside him. This is almost as exciting as a heist. (And Kaito wonders if it will be just as rewarding with the beauty at the end.)


	3. Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shinichi and Kaito are suspicious of each other and there’s a push and pull to their interactions; don’t reveal anything versus reveal just enough to get the other talking. After a brief stop at the convenience store they go grab a meal together. (All for the sake of gathering more intel, of course.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Word Count: ~5.3k

\-----

They make their way to the nearest convenience store and gas station. It’s a beacon in the dark, especially in such a rural area. When they arrive, Shinichi is quick to get off the motorcycle. Before the man can run away, Kaito is quick to say to him, “I’ll come in with you. If you can’t get a tow truck or a ride, I can’t leave you hanging.” He can’t let the man get away. 

“That’s generous, but you’ve done so much for me already,” Shinichi says. 

An agent definitely wouldn’t want him to stay, but a nice civilian might also say something similar, so Kaito presses on. “What kind of rescuer would I be if I left before I knew you were going to be okay?” He asks with his most charming smile. 

Shinichi takes a moment to consider his words, then nods. 

Nice. 

“Then can you do me a favor?” Shinichi asks. 

Kaito could refuse, but doing so would be rather suspicious, so he could only agree. 

“I would love some water,” Shinichi says, pulling out his wallet. “And please get something for yourself. It’s the least I can do.” 

Ugh, to keep his nice guy, civilian persona, Kaito has to fulfill the guy’s request. If the man is trying to distract him it’s working. How sly. And if he is a civilian, then getting water for the man is only polite. Either way, he wouldn’t get anything for himself. 

Kaito holds out his hand to receive the money. His eyes are then drawn to the man’s bright wallet-

“A fan of Kamen Yaiba?” Kaito asks. 

The character is clear as day, and even though Shinichi’s hand is covering part of it, the name ‘Kamen Yaiba’ is spelled out in bright, yellow, english letters. Shinichi flushes and slides the wallet back into his pocket. “Not exactly. My friend gave me this wallet and I can’t not use it.” 

As he adjusts his jacket (to hide it? Why? It was just a kid’s character wallet. Kaito found it charming) Shinichi accidentally knocks something out. Kaito bends to pick it up, but freezes. A second later he gently grabs the object and offers it to the man in front of him. 

“Thank you,” Shinichi says, not quite meeting his eyes. Kaito can’t look into his eyes either. Shinichi coughs, then gestures to the convenience store. “I’ll just…” 

Kaito nods and Shinichi makes his way to the cashier to ask for use of their phone. 

Oh boy. 

Wearing a formal outfit (with suspenders and bow tie), looking tired and lonely, sitting in a smoking car, and the man had a ring box in his pocket!?!?! 

Wait, wait, Shinichi could still be a bad guy or an agent. Just because he has a Kamen Yaiba wallet (although it’s probably his, there are no kids around to pickpocket and he knew his way around the thing), has a ring box (although why else would anyone have a ring except to propose?), and has a cute butt- oh, don’t go there Kaito- it didn’t mean this guy couldn’t be involved in the raid. Kaito needs to remind himself of what’s at stake here. He has to be absolutely sure whether Shinichi is or isn’t involved. 

Gah, he should have looked in the ring case. It would have been rude, but if there’s a romantic looking ring in there, then it would have been substantial proof that the man is just a civilian at the wrong place at the wrong time. 

Kaito shakes his head. He should go listen in on Shinichi’s phone call. It might shed some light on whether Kudo Shinichi is an agent, a villain, or a man that just had his marriage proposal rejected. 

\----- 

Shinichi makes his way to the landline that the cashier pointed out to him. His cheeks are still burning. A grown man with a Kamen Yaiba wallet? That’s suspicious as hell. (He didn’t even want to use the wallet as Conan, but when the kids had presented it to him, he couldn’t not use it.)

Maybe he should try to ditch the other man here and now. 

But Shinichi’s gut told him he shouldn’t. After spending spending time with the man (and checking to see if Kuroba Kaito was armed), Shinichi comes to the conclusion that it’s unlikely Kaito is a Crow, an agent, or an officer. However, that didn’t mean he wasn’t involved with any of these groups. It seemed too coincidental that someone would pass by at this time at night in this area. 

If Shinichi ran, then it might confirm- something to the other man. Better to continue acting like a helpless civilian. 

At the landline, he takes only a moment to decide who to call and waits for them to answer. During this time they may not answer...

“Hattori here.” 

Thank goodness he picked up. Heiji was part of the group to apprehend the Crows, so Shinichi wasn't sure if the man would be able to pick up, especially if it was a call from an unknown number. 

“It’s Kudo,” Shinichi answers. 

“Shinichi! What happened!” Heiji exclaims. 

Shinichi has to pull back the phone, Heiji didn’t have to yell so loudly. Although he guesses he deserves it since he did disappear quite suddenly. 

“And that voice-“ Heiji hisses, “Your clothes are here, don’t tell me…” 

“Yeah. I’m at a nearby convenience store right now,” Shinichi says with a sigh. 

“That little nee-chan should have told me-  _ you  _ should have told me that turning back was a possibility,” Heiji says. He barks something to someone off the line and the background noise starts to fade away. “You ran because no one recognized you, as- you, right?” 

“It’s not her fault, it's my fault,” Shinichi admits with another sigh. He’s tired, but this can all end soon. “And you got it in one. No one recognized me.” 

“Do you need me to pick you up? I can get away, just give me the word,” Heiji whispers even as some officers start saying his name in the background. It sounds like Jodie-sensei and Agent Camel. 

He would love to be picked up, but Shinichi needs the Crows to be dealt with. He trusts Heiji the most to help coordinate between the police officers and the other agencies. “I’ll be fine, I’ll get a taxi or something. And you’re needed there.” 

“...Okay, Shinichi,” Heiji says. “I’ll wrap everything up here. There won’t be a single Crow left for ya.” 

Shinichi smiles. Trust Heiji to know exactly what he needs to hear. “You’re a good friend.” 

“Feel free to use my hotel, got it?” Heiji demands. “It’s close by and you can borrow some clothes if ya need to.”

“Yeah, yeah, I shouldn’t go back home, I know,” Shinichi acquiesces. 

They talk a little bit more, nothing substantial, only about the others’ status before Shinichi hangs up. When they do, Shinichi scrubs a hand over his face and sighs. 

“More like I can’t go back home,” Shinichi says, bitterly. 

Even if the raid is going well, there was always the possibility that some Crowns slipped through the cracks. If that’s true, then Shinichi would need to continue to keep a low profile. He and Ai could still be targeted if the truth about the apotoxin came out. 

He couldn’t go back home, because he would be recognized. Similarly, it was a bad idea for Heiji to come pick him up or for Shinichi to go to his hotel room. Together, they were rather recognizable as detectives. 

Shinichi sighs again. Maybe this day would end without anything else exciting happening. Maybe he could politely turn down Kaito’s help and get a taxi home. 

And maybe pigs would fly. 

First step, call a taxi and then shake Kaito off. 

\----- 

Ohhhhh what did Kaito just hear? ‘It wasn’t her fault,’ and ‘I can't go home’.

Kaito couldn't properly eavesdrop on the conversation. He hadn’t prepared a bug, so he could only listen to Shinichi’s half of the conversation and even then he’s straining himself to hear anything. But it really did sound like the man just came from a proposal gone badly. 

Kaito could see it now. Maybe Shinichi had planned a big romantic dinner, with candles and a formal outfit to go with everything. Maybe he had surprised the woman he loved with the gesture, then brought out the ring. But his lover rejected him, and he left, unable to stay. Then started driving aimlessly on the dark roads until his car had broken down. 

No, no- Kaito tries to wave the thought away. That scenario sounds like something out of a drama that Aoko liked to watch. That sort of thing didn’t actually happen to people. 

Could it? 

Kaito gives himself a mental shake. He has to keep his eyes on the goal. A suspicious individual in all black, in the area where there’s a police raid, in a vehicle that screamed secret agent; Kaito would figure this out. 

Shinichi soon finishes his call and Kaito rushes over to a nearby stand. 

Kaito looks casually over as if he just noticed that Shinichi is there. “Oh hey, did you get your ride figured out?” 

“It’s a work in progress,” Shinichi replies. “There aren’t any taxis available and my- friends aren’t available.” 

No taxis and no friends? The ‘no taxis’ Kaito could believe. It’s late and they aren’t in a metropolitan area. But the no friends part? How suspicious, when Shinichi had just been talking to a friend. 

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Kaito says aloud. 

Shinichi shrugs in a casual way that indicates that ‘it’s complicated’. God, does the man look tired. Under the lights of the convenience store, Kaito can see the little things that the moonlight hid: there’s ash on Shinichi’s suit (Kaito definitely put that in the suspicious category), the top buttons of his shirt are undone, the black shirt contrasting with the pale skin of his neck (ngh, Kaito should go back to looking for suspicious details), and how the man isn’t wearing socks, revealing delicate ankles (which is equal parts suspicious and endearing). 

Shinichi nods at the stand in front of Kaito. “Tough decision?”

“Yeah, they’re limited edition flavors of twin-pops,” he automatically answers with a carefree smile, remembering the details from his brief look at the stand. Then he turns and looks at the items in front of him. He almost loses his poker face. “Tomato flavor and celery flavor,” he says, reading form the sign. 

The sign also reads: ‘Interesting and Fun Veggie Flavors Now Available!’ And there’s a picture of all the flavors. Kaito almost gags seeing the various vegetables with their cute faces. 

It was sacrilege to have vegetable-flavor anything that wasn’t actually a vegetable. What’s wrong with flavors like chocolate? Or vanilla? Or strawberry? 

Oh god, is he going to have to eat one?

Shinichi chuckles, “Those are some interesting flavors.” 

Kaito lets out his best casual chuckle. “Ri-right? I wonder which one is good.” 

“Let’s get both,” Shinichi says, snagging the bill that he gave Kaito. Then he grabs one tomato and one celery pop and goes to pay. 

Kaito obediently follows and reminds himself he’s doing this for information. (And maybe the other man would chicken out and wouldn’t buy them. Did Shinichi  _ really  _ want to eat vegetable flavored popsicles?) But Kaito finds himself outside and being offered a popsicle. He picks one, celery, and Shinichi rips open his tomato one. The smell of tomatoes immediately hits Kaito’s nose and Kaito wants to cover his face. Dessert is not meant to smell like tomatoes. 

Kaito opens his own pop and just seeing the green color upsets him. It isn’t natural and Kaito resists the urge to pitch the pop far away. 

“How interesting,” Shinichi says with a smile (ugh, smiling over vegetable popsicles). Then he splits his pop in half, they are unfortunately twin-pops. “Here, I’ll trade you half?”

Kaito’s eyes went wide, but he couldn't refuse. “A-ah.” 

And that’s how Kaito found himself with one pop in each hand. It would have been a kind and sweet gesture on Shinichi’s part if it wasn’t for the fact that Kaito found the flavors repulsive. Kaito is hard pressed to maintain his poker face. 

“Oh, if you eat them together it’s like a Bloody Mary. Not bad.” Shinichi nonchalantly says, eating them like he’s actually enjoying them (the fiend). 

Since Shinichi is concentrating on the pops, Kaito takes the chance to quickly taste both without having to hide his reactions. Worst one first, the tomato one. He takes a lick- and grimaces. Oddly sweet and salty, and Kaito could tell there’s pulp. Next the celery. Also sweet, but rather light in flavor. It was also fibrous, ugh. 

Kaito looks at Shinichi happily eating them. If he ate them together… 

Shinichi looks up and Kaito automatically copies him, sticking both ice pops into his mouth. 

Oh! That’s much better than eating them individually. The celery becomes sweeter, offsetting the weird salty-sweet of the tomato.

“Oh yeah, it is kind of like a Bloody Mary,” Kaito agrees, even though he doesn’t know what the drink tastes like. At least it’s not as bad as he was expecting. 

They finish their ice pops quickly (no winners) and as Shinichi cleans up, Kaito can tell the man is removing himself from the situation and trying to slip away. 

“So do you have a ride coming soon?” Kaito asks. Shinichi hesitates and Kaito doesn’t give him the chance to answer, taking advantage of his hesitation. “If not, then I can hang out with you. I kinda feel responsible for you.” Oof, was that the right thing to say? That sounded like something a good samaritan would say, right? 

“You really don’t have to…” 

“I insist. How about we go get a meal? We’ll split the cost, no worries,” Kaito clarifies, “Wouldn’t it be nice to end the night on a good note? The day doesn’t have to end yet.”

Shoot him now, that was bad. That sounded less like a good samaritan and more like a creepy flirt. Kaito always was bad at improvising without a clear plan. He’s a magician and magicians always had plans and contingencies, but never this sort of improvisation. 

Shinichi looks like he’s about to refuse when his stomach growls audibly. He turns an adorable shade of red. “I could eat,” he says with an embarrassed grin. 

They ask the convenience store clerk about restaurants that are still open at this time of night and get directions to a family restaurant. When they arrive, the place is indeed open with quite a few people inside. The atmosphere is warm and homey. It looks like a nice enough restaurant and Kaito thinks that the two of them stopping by won’t look too out of place. 

However, Kaito’s hopes are dashed when the waitress looks at them with immense interest as they’re being seated. A few other diners look at them intently, and Kaito wonders if they’re all regulars. Hopefully they’re being looked at because they’re unfamiliar and not because they look suspicious. (But they do stand out, him in his riding clothes, and Shinichi in his black suit.) Thankfully, they’re seated away from the others, in a private booth, but not too far away that it’s isolating.

When the waitress walks away, Kaito pulls the menu up. He pretends to look over it while he figures out how to interrogate the other man. 

“What are you thinking about getting?” Shinichi asks. 

“I don’t know,” Kaito hedges. He isn’t really that hungry, but if he’s going to keep up with Shinichi then he probably needs to eat something. Too bad ordering a chocolate parfait would stand out. And it would be better not to reveal too much about himself; he’ll have to order an ordinary item like a sandwich. “What do you think looks good?” 

“I’ll probably have an espresso…” 

“At this time of night?” Kaito can’t help but ask. 

“It's an addiction,” Shinichi says with a rueful smile. 

Or maybe Shinichi is trying to stay awake so he can be in tip-top shape to run away. Kaito will also need to be on top of his game, which meant that he definitely needs sugar. 

That’s the moment the waitress pop over to their table, “Hi! My name is Haru! Can I start you off with something to drink?” 

Kaito is drawn to her name tag which states her name is ‘Haru-chan,’ and has a very cute cat drawn on it. 

“A coffee for me,” Shinichi says. 

“A hot chocolate for me,” Kaito automatically answers. He holds back a wince. A grown man asking for a hot chocolate? So much for not standing out. 

Luckily, neither the waitress or Shinichi looks at him weirdly for the choice. 

The waitress writes it down, before asking, “And are you two ready to order?”

Kaito resigns himself to ordering something boring when Shinichi asks, “Do you have any specials or recommendations?” 

“The spicy pasta!” A new voice calls out. 

All three of them look over towards the speaker. There, over in the bar area, is a grinning man in an apron. 

“Oi, oi, I thought that was just an experiment, Chef?” A man sitting at the bar says with a chuckle. 

“It’s an experiment, but it’s quite good,” the chef insists. 

“Stick to something safer, like the Special Hamburger set-“

“Goto style?” The chef adds. 

For some reason that makes the other man glare and they start squabbling amongst themselves, albeit playfully. The other patrons look on, amused, as if this argument happened often. 

“I’m sorry about them,” Haru says. “That’s the owner and head chef, Chef Jugo. The man he’s arguing with is a regular, Goto-san.” 

So Kaito is right about everyone being regulars. No wonder the two of them attracted curious looks, while the two men arguing didn’t. 

“Chef Jugo? As in he’s been to culinary school?” Shinichi asks. 

“That’s right,” Haru says with a proud smile. “He’s the pride of our town, going to culinary school and coming back to open this family restaurant. This place is very popular!” 

“Then do you think I should get the spicy pasta?” Shinichi asks. 

“Well, it is experimental, but as a rule, Chef will only recommend recipes he’s confident in. It’s a chicken and vegetable pasta with spicy tomato sauce,” she explains. 

“Then I’ll get that,” Shinichi says. 

“And for you?” Haru turns to Kaito. 

“Then I’ll have that Special Hamburger Set, Goto-style.” Kaito says. Thank goodness Shinichi decided to go for the special so that Kaito can order something odd too. He had been dreading eating something he wouldn’t like. A hamburger set is much more his style. 

Their waitress giggles. “Good choices. Everything here is so good! Can I interest you in dessert too? They even make the whipped cream from scratch here. The parfaits are to die for!” 

Now Kaito  _ really _ wants that chocolate parfait. (But it would be weird right? Aoko had told him that his love of sweets stood out. Whenever they went out together, Kaito tended to attract attention for that reason.) But if someone was to ask for him later, wouldn’t he be easily remembered? ‘Oh yeah, I remember the strange college aged kid who asked for a hot chocolate, hamburger set, and parfait.’ Maybe he should have put on a disguise before- 

“You should order one.”

Kaito looks up to see Shinichi looking at him encouragingly. He sounds earnest enough. Kaito supposes he shouldn’t  _ not _ get it, if he’s being encouraged. Kaito turns to Haru. 

“What flavors do you have?” Kaito asks. 

“Well there’s a fruit medley, strawberry, matcha, chocolate-“ 

“One chocolate parfait for him, please,” Shinichi immediately says. 

Kaito gapes at Shinichi. How did he know that Kaito wanted a chocolate parfait? And to his surprise, Haru jots the order down. 

“Would you like two spoons so you can share with your... friend?” She asks with a blush. 

Kaito almost chokes. He doesn’t know why he’s surprised, he shouldn’t be surprised by anything anymore, but he is. Okay, Kaito just needs to keep calm (even though they’re  _ definitely _ going to be remembered as that gay couple who came to eat the specials in the middle of the night). Oh shit, he did ask Shinichi out for a meal. Is this a date? Well, of course not, Kaito asked because he was looking for information, not a date. But, Shinichi is handsome… No, no, Kaito has to remember the plan. 

Wait- did Shinichi think this is a date?

Nooo, there’s no way this man thought Kaito asked him out on a date. If he’s an agent or a man in black, then he  _ has _ to know that Kaito is sticking around for intel. (But if Shinichi just so happens to be a civilian and said yes to getting dinner…)

Kaito tries not to follow that train of thought and returns to the conversation at hand. 

“You should get one too,” Kaito says to Shinichi, not allowing the absurdity of their situation show on his face. 

Shinichi balks. “I’m not a big fan of sweet things…”

Kaito turns to Haru, “Do you have any recommendations for him?”

She looks at them with wide eyes, as if she can’t believe the cute sight in front of her. “Yes! I mean- yes, we can make a less sweet parfait. How about plum or lemon?”

Kaito and Haru look expectantly at Shinichi. 

“Lemon then,” Shinichi concedes. 

“Perfect!” Haru chirps. “I’ll put your orders in.”

She hurries away and they’re once again left alone at the table. 

“How could you tell I wanted a chocolate parfait?” Kaito asks, breaking the silence. 

Shinichi shrugs. “You ordered a hot chocolate and I’m guessing you have a sweet tooth?” 

Kaito nods. 

“It was a lucky guess,” Shinichi says with a small smile. “And it was lucky of us to stumble upon this place. A chef with a culinary experience from abroad, I bet the food is great. You don’t have to hold back.”

Kaito feels his heart beat a little faster. (This felt a little too close to flirting for him.) “It’s very lucky,” Kaito agrees, ignoring the other part. 

“So what brought you here to be in this lucky situation?” Shinchi asks, casual. 

Ooo, that was sneaky and very smooth. He would return the favor as soon as he figures out how to answer the question. 

“I was worried about a friend,” Kaito starts. Not the complete truth, but close enough. “It turned out I wasn’t helping them by being there so I left.” 

“So you thought you would help a stranger instead?” Shinichi asks with an amused smile. 

“I couldn’t just leave you at the side of the road,” Kaito says, scratching the back of his head. He makes sure to be casual and keep his poker face. He doesn’t want to trigger any more questions he'll have a hard time answering. Shinichi is very good at this casual interrogation business. Kaito could learn from him. 

Kaito turns the questions on Shinichi, “What about you? Is your car going to be okay out there?” 

“I called someone about the car,” Shinichi says. Dang, that was quick, and it shut down any more questions Kaito could ask about the car without it being weird. “As for why I was there… I had a great night planned and then it went off the rails. I had to leave the situation.” 

Ugh, this guy is some sort of mastermind. Shinichi answers with the same level of detail Kaito answered with, so asking more would leave himself open to more questioning. And Shinichi’s answer is so vague. It was general enough that it could apply to running away from the raid, or getting rejected after proposing. 

Maybe Kaito shouldn’t be in close proximity with the man. It may be easier to take some discreet photos, plant a bug on the man, and follow from a distance. That way he’s less likely to blow his cover as an interested party, especially after using his real name. (Kaito is still kicking himself over that.) After they finish their meal, Kaito will have to consider that plan of attack. 

Their drinks are brought to them, giving Kaito a reprieve from the conversation. He takes a sip of his hot chocolate and then inhales the rest. It’s  _ so  _ good. Rich and sweet, just the way he likes it. It may be one of the best cups of hot chocolate he’s ever had. 

Shinichi sighs from across the table. He too looks like he’s having a revelation with his coffee. 

“Good?” Kaito asks. 

“So good. I haven’t had a good cup of coffee in awhile,” Shinichi murmurs the last part. 

A bit of an odd comment, so Kaito files the information away. They get refills of their beverages and end up chatting with Haru until a loud clatter makes them look up. A customer has opened the door too hard. They saunter into the restaurant. 

The first impression Kaito has about the man is that the guy looks like an utter sleazebag. A stereotype of a man looking for trouble: bad posture, with an unkempt appearance, greasy hair, stubble, and an arrogant grin. The man is even chewing a toothpick. 

“Excuse me,” Haru goes to seat the man. But she doesn’t look scared, nor is she smiling. In fact, she’s glaring. Several of the patrons are glaring at the man. They must know him. 

The man goes easily enough with her, although he deliberately walks in a path that passes by the tables of all the other patrons, disturbing their meal. Goto-san and Chef Juugo in particular glare daggers at the man. When he’s finally seated (far away from the others), he declares loudly, “I’ll have the special! Hopefully I won’t get food poisoning like last time!” Then he starts to laugh loudly and obnoxiously. 

The other patrons look away, no longer giving the man the satisfaction of getting their attention. 

“What a jerk,” Kaito mutters to Shinichi. 

Shinichi nods. 

They ignore him too and try not to let the disturbance ruin their meal. 

Luckily their food is quickly brought out to them. Kaito notes that Shinichi’s meal suits him, a trendy pasta meal. (It also contains chicken, thank goodness, instead of fi-finny things.) Kaito’s meal is…

His eyes light up when he sees it. “A kids meal?” 

Shinichi takes a look and gives an approving nod, “Oh, and adult sized and styled.” 

It really is, with a hamburger steak and a perfectly poached egg on top, a tower of rice with a flag drawn in sauce, along with tako-wieners, and some other sides. The dish isn’t bright like a kid’s meal, but the color of home cooking in an adult portion size. 

“Yup!” Haru exclaims. “That’s what it means to get a Goto-style set. Is it to your tastes?” 

“It looks great!” Kaito says truthfully. It’s exactly what he would have ordered. He digs in and immediately transcends into hamburger heaven. 

Shinichi looks at him amused and without judgement. Then Shinichi takes a bit of his own dish and his eyes light up. “I haven’t had such good spicy food in so long,” he says. 

Haru smiles at the both of them. “I’ll bring your parfaits out afterwards. Please enjoy!” 

They enthusiastically dig into their meals. Once they’re up to talking, they chat about their meals and exchange bites. The pasta tastes good, but it’s a bit spicier than Kaito would like. Shinichi appreciates Kaito’s meal too, but sticks to his own. When Kaito reaches the end of the meal, he’s very satisfied. And surprised, because he wasn’t up to eating before and now he’s eaten a whole meal and- 

Haru brings over the loveliest chocolate parfait sundae he’s ever seen. 

He digs in as soon as it’s set down in front of him and- oh, he has to make sure to come back here again. He’s being ruined for all other places forever. Even Shinichi, Mr. Not A Big Sweets Fan, is digging into his own. Kaito teases him and almost snorts into his parfait when Shinichi snarks back. 

What a night. Here he is, laughing and smiling while eating the best chocolate parfait he’s ever had in his life. It’s been awhile since he’s been in such a good mood. Not even the sleazy disruptive guy can bring him down. He’s in the middle of a story, the one where he ordered chocolate ice cream at the billiards bar, when he realizes that this is totally a date. 

Kaito hadn’t intended to ask this handsome stranger on a date, but this is undoubtedly a date. (And arguably the best date that he’s had in awhile.) 

No, no, Kaito is reading way too deeply into the situation. Just because he’s having a good time with a potential villain didn’t mean he had to freak out (he’s freaking out). 

Because what if this man is an enemy? He’d have to get him arrested and Kaito would get hurt in the process. 

And if he isn’t an enemy, then he may be an agent or an officer. In some ways that would be even worse. Whatever this is, it would be over between them before it even started. He couldn’t be with someone who could get hurt by him being Kaito Kid. (His relationship with Hakuba, the Inspector, and Aoko proved that.) 

But what if the man is a civilian? What if, this is just a guy who got rejected and decided to hang out with a mysterious bike riding stranger? They would chat and they would continue to get along. Maybe Kaito would find out the the man actually lives close to Ekoda, but not too close.Maybe he lives a city over or close to the university. Perhaps they would exchange numbers on a whim and they would accidentally bump into each other. There, they would talk and maybe hang out on occasion; not romantically, but as friends because Shinichi would still be working through the emotions of being rejected by his lover. They would hang out often enough, but not too often, allowing Kaito the freedom to attend to his heists. Kaito wouldn’t have to lie to Shinichi about his whereabouts all the time and seeing him would be like a breath of fresh air. Eventually, Kaito would find Pandora and wth the raid today effectively taking care of the men in black-

And Kaito would be done with his mission-

And Shinichi would be there-

And he could finally ask him on another date. 

Thank goodness Kaito is such a master at keeping his poker face, because the fantasy is giving him heart palpitations. 

Where is this fantasy even coming from? He isn’t the type to indulge like this, at least not about a man he’s only known for a few hours. 

But it didn’t feel that way. The banter, his dry tone, the easy acceptance of Kaito’s eccentricities, Kaito finds it easy to be in Shinichi’s presence. It’s like they’ve met before and are reconnecting after a long period away from each other. Where had Kaito felt like this before- 

CRASH

The suspicious man is making a scene again. Even though everyone is doing their best to ignore him, he really is a big nuisance. The man has stood up and is flailing- the man crashes to the ground. 

That’s too dramatic, even for Kaito. 

Haru marches over to give the man a piece of her mind and shakes him. He flops over and she jerks back. Shinichi is already up and by her side and Kaito blinks at the speed in which the man moved. Kaito finds himself following behind. Shinichi is whispering into Haru’s ear and she hurries off. 

Kaito stops when he sees the man on the floor. His eyes are wide and unseeing, one hand clutching at his throat. He’s totally still and Kaito freezes when he realizes what it means. 

“Damnit,” Shinichi says quietly as he stands. “He’s dead.” 


	4. The Case

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shinichi’s usual luck holds and a case is presented in front of him when he’s trying to keep a low profile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Word Count: ~5.6k

\-----

Shit. This is one of the worst case scenarios. 

That time where he turned back into Shinichi to go on a school trip had shown him how easily he could be exposed. It had only taken one case and being himself for less than 24 hours for the word to spread that ‘Kudo Shinichi had returned’. It was only thanks to his parents and Heiji that they managed to suppress the media and the rumors. 

And he was having a pretty good time too. After the phone call, Shinichi had been surprised by Kaito’s invitation for a meal. However it only proved that his instincts are correct. Kuroba Kaito is fishing for information. If Kaito had been a concerned civilian, then he would have been more concerned by the smoking car that was left at the side of the road and would have been more concerned that Shinichi had no plans to leave. 

Instead, Kaito had taken advantage of the fact that Shinichi wasn’t going anywhere and had inserted himself into Shinichi’s life, at least for the next few hours. That meant Kaito was sticking around  _ him _ specifically. Shinichi could play along before slipping away. Besides, he needs to figure out who Kaito is before they separate. 

So far, Shinichi has determined that Kaito is unlikely to be a police officer. He didn’t have the base knowledge that most officers have, which also ruled out being a member of the secret police. He was unlikely to be part of an alphabet agency, as he didn’t have the right skill sets (And didn’t carry around a gun). 

As for being a Crow.. Shinichi is ambivalent. The Black Organization often took in specialists, but the fact that Shinichi hadn’t been killed outright made him undecided. What did the man want with him? 

But that isn’t important right now. What’s important is that there is a corpse in front of him that might have been the result of a murder. 

Ugh, he had been hoping for the night to end without Kudo Shinichi being revealed. He may have to rely on his resources as Conan to get out of this mess, because he won’t turn his back on a case. He can’t believe someone died right in front of him. And if it was a murder, how dare the culprit kill someone right in front of him.

(His only consolation is that it’s the middle of the night and there aren’t many people around. The group is small enough that Shinichi may be able to control any photos that might be taken.) 

Haru is calling the police, and it looks like Goto and Chef Juugo are handling the customers. As for Shinichi, he would continue to look over the scenes for clues. 

There is a gasp behind him. 

Kaito is behind him, absolutely devastated by the sight. 

Shit. Okay, comfort Kaito first, then look over the crime scene. 

Shinichi gently leads Kaito away from the scene. “Hey, why don’t you take a seat,” he murmurs. 

Kaito goes easily enough, even though he’s a bit shaky. “Wait- But, how can I relax when there’s-“ His eyes flick over to the body on the floor. 

Shinichi shifts so that he’s blocking the scene. “I know it may seem difficult to relax, but why don’t you take a seat anyway?” 

Kaito swallows. “I think I’d prefer to go to the restroom first.” 

“Okay,” Shinichi agrees. There wasn’t anyone that used the bathroom recently so there shouldn’t be any evidence to disturb. 

Shinichi helps lead Kaito to the bathroom. He should keep an eye on the man, make sure he’s okay, but he needs to look over the body. (And, a small part of his brain whispers, if Kaito’s along, it’s a chance for Kaito to contact others about Shinichi’s appearance. Shinichi carefully puts the thought away. Case first, worry later. Anyway, it seemed unlikely that Kaito is a Crow. Even if they are acting, a Crow wouldn’t be so shaken by the sight of a dead body.) After he’s done with his examination, he’ll go check on Kaito if the man hasn’t come out of the bathroom. 

Shinichi goes back to the body. A faint smell of almonds clings to the man’s mouth. Definitely cyanide poisoning. The man is clutching his neck, but oddly enough, with only one hand. The other is tucked into his jacket. For now, Shinichi leaves it alone. He can’t be too sure where the poison is located. 

Shinichi looks over the table. The man had also ordered the pasta special and a glass of water. It had looked like he was eating it normally before his collapse. He’s wary of touching anything until he knows where the poison came from. He memorizes the placement of the food, utensils, the glass...

“How is it?” 

Shinichi looks up to see Kaito, looking a bit queasy, but otherwise calm despite the dead body in front of him. 

Shinichi gives him a wan smile. “Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like it was by natural causes.” 

Kaito’s eyes widen. “A murder?” 

Before Shinichi can answer, the door opens once again. Police officers stream in, none of whom Shinichi recognizes. Unfortunately, all of the officers he does trust are working the raid. This could complicate things. An officer he knows and trusts could be discreet with his involvement, but he has no guarantee here with an unknown police prefecture. 

The best case scenario is the mystery being solved without tipping anyone off to his presence. The more likely scenario is that the mystery is solved and the both of them have to go in to the station for their report. However, based on his usual luck he (and Kaito) will be accused of murder. Hopefully it won’t come to that. 

(The worse case scenario is that amongst the officers there are plants from the Black Organization that will take this opportunity to scoop Shinichi up and take care of all the witnesses. Shinichi has to prepare for that possibility, but he hopes that’s not the case. There are families here, a whole restaurant of people. He would prefer to be accused of murder.)

Shinichi slowly stands and pulls his hands out of his pockets. He tries to look as non-threatening as possible and moves so he’s standing next to Kaito. Maybe they’ll look like a bunch of university students that were out for a drive. 

The inspector (because surely only this person could be the inspector, the one leading the officers and radiating authority), immediately takes in the scene and is quick to delegate tasks to the officers. The officers start taking statements from the witnesses and one officer gently pulls Kaito and Shinichi aside to take their own statements. 

While this is happening, Shinichi carefully watches the inspector from the corner of his eye. She looks close in age to Megure-keibu, perhaps a little younger, she has a baby-face. Her face is screwed into a scowl, to offset her young looks. 

“Good riddance!” 

Everybody in the room turns as one to see Goto yelling at the corpse on the floor. “That man has been harassing this town and Juugo’s restaurant for too long! He got what was coming to him!” 

“Sir, please calm down,” the inspector says and miraculously, he does. He huffs, but he doesn’t say any more and he goes to the side to sulk. 

Then one of the CSI members approaches the inspector. “Ito-keibu, the victim was poisoned,” they say to her, too loudly. The whole restaurant bursts into whispers. 

The inspector looks like she’s holding back the urge to sigh. 

“Please calm down everyone, we will continue to take everyone’s statements and will take care of this case,” Ito-keibu says. 

The customers calm down, although Goto-san, Chef Juugo, and Haru-san look nervous. The rest of the officers also look uneasy, glancing amongst each other and then back at the inspector. 

Well, at least this seemed like a legitimate police operation. Would a member of the Black Organization be so sloppy?

Shinichi tucks that hypothesis away. Time would tell, and he wouldn’t let it get in the way of the truth. He should be careful here, it’s still possible that there are Black Organization plants among the more nondescript officers. If there aren’t, all he has to do is keep a low profile. The case seems straightforward enough that the officers can solve it without his help. 

However, the whispering around them seems to get louder:

“Goto-san seems suspicious.” 

“What about Chef Juugo? It was his food,” another whispers, voice audible throughout the restaurant. 

“But what about Haru? That man wasn’t just harassing her, he’s been harassing the mayor, her dad.” 

The inspector coughs loudly, causing the patrons to quiet. However, not a moment later, Goto explodes from his place. “Are you accusing us of murdering this man?!”

A restaurant patron immediately gets in the man’s face and they start yelling at each other. The officers are quick to separate the two and they attempt to calm the rest of the restaurant patrons who are getting uncomfortable. Surprisingly, the two fighting are easy to stop. Shinichi gets the impression that they know each other. In fact, it sounds like everyone knows one another, from the restaurant patrons to the officers. (The only ones who aren’t from the small town are him and Kaito.)

That must be the root of the issue. They couldn’t trust each other’s testimonies due to all their personal biases. But they believed that the victim had enough enemies that someone could kill him. 

Shinichi sighs. Whatever the result, this case is trouble. Cases in small and tight-knit communities are always tough. 

Goto is still yelling, “I didn’t kill him!” 

“The officers will find out what happened, Goto,” Chef Juugo says, trying to soothe him. 

“But they’re going off  _ their _ ,” Goto points to the crowd, “-opinions.” 

The inspector radiates a firm authority and talks Goto down. Goto calms and listens to her. 

“You know I’ll be fair,” the inspector says. 

Everyone agrees aloud, but there’s a seed of doubt that has been planted. The patrons want the case to be fair, for the victim and everybody involved. However, how could the officers be fair to everybody? Maybe bringing in an outsider would be the smart thing to do, some whisper aloud. 

The officers tell them that it’s much too late to bring in anyone else. 

The restaurant patrons mumble under their breaths. 

“But there is someone here that can help,” Haru-san pipes up. 

Uh oh. Shinichi’s stomach sinks. 

She points at him. “That’s the meitantei, Kudo Shinichi!” 

\-----

Kaito jolts when he hears the name and jerks his head to look at the man beside him. Meitantei Kudo Shinichi? So that’s where Kaito recognized his name. (And that’s how Shinichi notices the small things, like Kaito wanting a chocolate parfait.)

Kaito remembers seeing the detective’s face in the papers and on the TV. Shinichi even has a few pretentious nicknames, like the High School Detective of the East, and the Heisei Holmes. (Kaito remembers teasing Saguru about not having a few impressive nicknames of his own.)

But Kaito also remembers that the guy dropped off the map sometime after Kaito became the phantom thief. Although he doesn’t remember much else. Kaito didn’t pay attention to the man’s disappearance because they had never confronted each other. 

Now that Kaito knows who this man is, it seems unlikely that he’s unconnected to the raid. Maybe Kaito had jumped to conclusions before. A formerly famous detective in this area at this time? Unlikely to be a civilian. 

That means one of two things: either Kudo Shinichi is part of the men in black, or he is a part of the police force taking them down. 

On the one hand, it seems unlikely that the man is one of the men in black. Between his famous parents and his detective skills, Kudo Shinichi is quite recognizable. Even here someone recognized the man, despite the fact that he hasn’t been active in the media for awhile. A man with his fame couldn’t commit crimes like Snake and his gang could without being recognized. And wouldn’t his parents do something if their son was dedicated to a life of crime? Kudo Yusaku is famous for being a detective in his own right. 

On the other hand, maybe that made Kudo Shinichi the perfect candidate for being a man in black. 

Perhaps he had been on the straight and narrow, but was recruited out of high school. Maybe detective work had become too tame or he had wanted a way to get out of his parents’ limelight. He imagines a Hakuba-level intellectual, but without any morals. He could see how Shinichi could be the perfect fit for a crooked secret agent: charming, handsome, with good connections, using his prowess to steal, or take out a target. (Kudo could certainly fool Kaito.) 

Maybe he had escaped the raid by stealing a car during the chaos of the fire. That would explain the black suit, the smoky scent that lingered on Shinichi’s clothes, and the broken down car. 

But… 

If he is a member of that organization, why didn’t he just kill Kaito and take his motorcycle? It would have been easy to dispose of Kaito, and it might have been hours before Kaito or the car would be discovered. 

There’s also no reason for Shinichi to stick around for so long, especially with such a recognizable face. It would have been easier to separate as soon as they reached the convenience store. 

However, if he isn’t a member of the men in black, why the outfit?

Maybe he’s undercover- no, Kudo Shinichi is too recognizable to do undercover work. Kaito recalls the frantic scene from this morning (has it really been only this morning?) at the police station. Maybe it was a coincidence. Maybe Shinichi had been pulled into the raid before he had the chance to change. Then the man was sent home when they saw he was wearing all black. 

And then.. Shinichi decided to have dinner with Kaito?

(That’s, hm, well it’s- Kaito feels an odd swooping sensation in his stomach. Maybe Kaito’s accidental date was real- no, no. Remember, if he’s a law enforcement agent, then nothing could happen between them.)

Things aren’t adding up because Kaito doesn’t have enough information. His gut tells him that Shinichi isn’t a villain, but with lives at stake, Kaito can’t jump to conclusions. 

For now, his best option is to observe Shinichi and be ready for anything. 

\-----

Shinichi holds back the urge to slam his head into the nearest hard surface. Someone recognizes him? Here? How?

It’s like a curse. It didn’t matter how long Kudo Shinichi had been gone,  _ somebody _ would recognize him. 

The crowd in the restaurant starts pointing at him and whispering. It seems like his fame even reaches this area (or maybe his fame came from the young lady in front of him). The crowd agrees that an outside detective would be able to do a fairer job with the case. 

Everybody, but the inspector and the officers, of course. 

Ito-keibu’s lips thin as she looks at him. He did his best to continue to appear non-threatening. 

It didn’t work. 

“Why don’t I consult with the detective then,” she says, loud enough that her voice carries. Then the inspector pulls Shinichi aside and they have a quiet conversation. 

“So. A detective,” she says, voice flat, her eyes sharp. 

“I’m just passing through,” Shinichi quickly answers. 

“And your friend?” She asks, eyeing Kaito. “Is he a detective too?”

“No-“ Shinichi answers, but then again, he doesn’t actually know, only has his own deductive reasoning telling him that Kaito’s not an officer or agent of any sort, “-I’m not too sure. My car broke down and he gave me a ride back to town,” he explains. 

“I see.” 

Shinichi holds fast and doesn’t allow her gaze to make him squirm. Eventually, an officer comes up to whisper in her ear. She nods at whatever they just said and looks back to him. 

“Well we’ve confirmed you look like Kudo Shinichi, and we’ve confirmed your friend’s identity. You said you’re passing through?” 

“Yes, that’s correct,” Shinichi confirms. 

“Then I suppose you’ll have to help solve the case,” she says, her eyes gleaming. 

\-----

_ Talk aloud while you’re doing the deduction. I’ll lead you through any difficult parts. Make sure that the townspeople are satisfied with your answers.  _

Shinichi isn’t very happy with the situation, but he knew where the inspector is coming from. She had explained that in this town, everybody knows everybody, including the victim. With the mysterious circumstances surrounding his death, it would be difficult to come to a conclusion that everybody would be satisfied with. An outside detective, a famous one, solving the mystery would satisfy the town. 

Or at least, if it looked like the famous detective solved the mystery. 

It isn’t Shinichi’s ideal situation, being a puppet for the police officers, but as long as the mystery is solved, he’s willing to play along (he’s had years of practice). But maybe this is the best case scenario: solve the crime in a timely manner without attracting (too much) attention to himself. He might even be left off the police report if he’s lucky. 

He can feel the eyes of the people around him, but he ignores them in favor of going over the evidence. He inspects the body with the help of the forensics team. He goes over the victim’s wallet and ID. The victim’s name is Yamada Shiro. 

“The method of death is poison by potassium cyanide,” Shinichi declares loud enough to be heard. The inspector gives him an encouraging nod. 

A member of the forensic team pulls him aside, “Kudo-kun, we’ve determined where the poison was found…” Shinichi listens to him. His hands, a handkerchief, and a bottle found near his person…

Shinichi nods. It’s good information, but not enough. It’s time to question the suspects. 

“During the time Yamada-san was here, he was seated right away, passing by these tables.” Shinichi passes through the area. “There was no poison found in these areas. After the victim was seated, they ordered a meal. At no time did they get up from their seat. The only people who came to talk to the victim were Chef Juugo, Goto-san, and Haru-san.”

The inspector gives him another subtle nod. Shinichi doesn’t wince, but it’s a close thing. The restaurant patrons are nervously looking at each other, realizing where Shinichi’s deduction is going. This is why it was preferable for a stranger to handle the case. 

“Therefore, they are our three suspects,” Shinichi continues. “I will be pulling you aside for questioning.” 

The restaurant starts to fill with whispers and many a dirty look are sent Shinichi’s way. He tries not to let it bother him. This is exactly why Shinichi has been allowed into this case, to be the scapegoat for the town’s ire. 

He plays it cool (hopefully successfully) and gently herds the three suspects away from the crowd. The other officers move the patrons away to give them privacy. Shinichi chances a look at Kaito, who gives him a nod. Shinichi takes it as a sign that the other man is doing okay. 

The three cooperate with him and tell him their stories, even as the inspector listens in. The three of them are all residents of the town and had known the victim for most of their lives. Shinichi finds out that Haru-san has been the regular waitress at the restaurant and also the mayor’s daughter. Chef Juugo and Yamada-san were former business partners that owned the restaurant together. However, the victim was unable to keep the restaurant out of the red when Chef Juugo went to culinary school. Chef Juugo and Goto-san bought the dying restaurant and made it flourish. Goto-san was now Chef Juugo’s business partner. 

After the success of the restaurant, Yamada-san asked for his job back. He was rejected. 

As a result, Yamada-san began to harass the restaurant. He targeted all of the workers and the patrons. Haru-san as the regular waitress for the restaurant, Chef Juugo as the head chef, and Goto-san as the business owner/partner and regular patron, were the main targets of the man’s harassment. 

None of them had alibis. All of them had a reason to kill the man. Shinichi shakes his head. It seems like an extreme action to take, killing the man instead of reporting him…

Hm. 

There’s a certain hypothesis he has…

Shinichi continues the investigation, making sure to perform for the crowd. He looks over the scene again, talks to the suspects about the victim, and checks with the forensics team again. They confirm a few suspicions he has about the poison and the areas where it was found. 

His theory comes to a head when Shinichi flips through the man’s wallet one last time and finds a key piece of evidence. 

Shinichi closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. He opens them and brings his evidence to the inspector. Her expression becomes grim as he tells her his deduction. She gives him the okay to proceed. 

For a moment his back is to the crowd and Shinichi gathers himself. This is both the best and hardest part of solving a mystery. He turns to the people in the restaurant. They’re looking at him expectantly. 

“I have solved this case,” Shinichi says confidently. The restaurant, including the three suspects, turn to meet his gaze. All eyes are on him. 

“Let me explain what happened. The victim, Yamada-san, came here to eat and to cause trouble. At the same time, he was scoping out the restaurant. He wanted to see what the most popular item was in the restaurant and he noticed that Chef Juugo’s special was ordered with great frequency,” Shinichi explains. 

The townspeople look around and notice it’s true. 

“On Yamada-san’s person there was something else besides the poison discovered: a strong laxative. Based on his behavior, Yamada-san was looking to put laxatives in the special and cause trouble in the restaurant.”

The restaurant gasps, but they shift their eyes away from his gaze. They know the man better than Shinichi does; they believe that he would have gone that far. 

“However, he also had the special, so he had to take laxatives too. Most likely his plan was to have the worst symptoms to garner sympathy. However, instead of adding laxatives to his food, he added the poison which was kept in a similar bottle, killing himself accidentally,” Shinichi says. 

He continues, adding more details that the forensics team found, but his explanation is very thorough. By the end of his deduction, the whole restaurant is silent. On the faces of the townspeople is a mix of expressions, some eyes filled with pity, some with anger, some just confused over the turn of events. 

Ito-keibu does a quick check with the forensics team and they all nod. She gives him a nod of her own, accepting his deduction. 

“This case is closed,” she says aloud, her voice carrying. 

People share looks with one another, but they don’t argue. In fact, the whole place is silent. Everyone is subdued, from the patrons, to the officers. They quickly disperse with the inspector’s help. They’re obviously rocked by the whole incident, but at least the town accepts the deduction. That was Shinichi’s goal, to bring the truth to light and to satisfy the town’s need to know what happened. 

The three former suspects move to leave, but Shinichi gently stops them. He coughs, unsure of how to start his final deduction. 

“What is it, Kudo-san?” Haru-san asks. Her eyes are shining with tears and admiration. 

His stomach drops. He hates delivering this kind of news, but it’s important. It’s part of the truth and they deserve to know everything. 

“There’s another piece of the case that I didn’t tell everyone. It’s about where the poison came from,” Shinichi says slowly. 

The three of them look at him, startled. 

“Well, we thought-” Chef Juugo starts, then pauses. “Huh? I guess I hadn’t considered why he was holding poison.”

“He was planning to kill someone,” Shinichi says, and they all gasp in response. 

“But- you said he just wanted to make everyone sick-” Haru-san says. 

“Did he want to kill everyone too?” Chef Juugo says, looking ill. 

“No,” Shinichi says firmly. “He only wanted to kill one person. Yes, he wanted to make everyone sick and to bring the restaurant’s reputation down, but he could also use the sickness as an excuse for one person’s death. With the food poisoning, perhaps the police would have assumed that the victim had died due to a bad reaction. But I’m guessing you already knew that, Goto-san.”

The other two look at Goto-san who had been silent after the reveal. He’s looking at his hands in horror. 

“Goto-san?” Haru-san says. 

Goto-san immediately clenches his fists. “He shook my hand.”

“What?”

“Yamada, he shook my hand,” Goto-san hands are now twitching. “And I like to eat with my hands-”

“Your hands don’t contain any poison,” Shinichi is quick to interrupt. Goto-san looks up surprised. “I already had the forensics team check your utensils and remember, they also checked your hands?” 

The relief on the man’s face is palpable. 

“But, why?” Chef Juugo wonders. 

Shinichi looks at the three in sympathy. Chef Juugo looks angry, Goto-san looks relieved but shaky, and Haru-san seems to be overwhelmed. All of them also looked confused. Well, that’s why he’s here, to present his deductions and tie up the loose ends. 

“Would you like to hear my theories?” Shinichi asks. 

They nod. 

“This is just a theory, but perhaps after seeing all the people here, Yamada-san reconsidered his plan. The easiest way to carry-out his plan would have been to confront Chef Juugo about his food in the kitchen and then mix the laxatives into the ingredients of the special. And sometime after, he would have to poison Goto-san. But he didn’t. The forensics team confirmed that the only place with laxatives or poison was on Yamada-san’s person. In fact, he finished his meal, which means perhaps he thought he could carry out his plan simply by making himself sick. He never approached the kitchen. Whether or not he meant to kill himself, or if it was an accident, well, that I don’t know,” Shinichi explains. 

Their faces slacken with sympathy. He’s seen these expressions before. They believe all too well his theory and their anger is turning to sympathy for the victim. After all, after death, nothing can change for that person anymore. 

They thank him for his deduction and Shinichi watches as they walk away. 

For better or for worse, the case is finished. 

\-----

Kaito watches as Shinichi wraps up the case. 

Shinichi was so cool and competent while working the case. Kaito can’t believe how he didn’t see it before. The man couldn’t be anything other than a detective. 

And the way he delivered the deduction: somber, but to the point. It was impressive and left no room for argument from the affected bystanders. As an internationally wanted thief, Kaito isn’t the biggest fan of detectives, but Kaito could admit that Kudo Shinichi is one of a kind. 

Although, oddly, Shinichi’s deduction seems familiar. It niggles at a faint memory, like the other man is familiar. 

However, he’s pretty sure he hasn’t met Shinichi before. Shinichi hasn’t made any indication that they’ve met previously (and Kaito Kid would have remembered such a memorable detective). Maybe the man reminds him of Hakuba? A better version for sure. Handsome and smart, without the stuck-up attitude (or desire to arrest him). 

Anyways, Kaito is convinced that Shinichi is  _ not _ affiliated with the men in black. Watching him in action, Kaito is sure that the man is one of the good guys. But even though Shinichi is a detective, that doesn’t mean he isn’t an officer or a government agent. In fact, it seems all too likely that joining a law enforcement agency is the reason that Kudo Shinichi has dropped off the radar. 

Kaito is more sure now that Shinichi would have information about the men he’s been chasing after. Kaito would stay close to him.

(Not that it would be a hardship.) 

\-----

Shinichi goes outside to get some fresh air. He knows he should regroup with Kaito, but he needs a bit of time after the case. 

Most of the officers are preoccupied, so Shinichi can have a moment to himself. 

One of the radios in a nearby police car crackles to life. Shinichi goes to find an officer- but stops himself. Most of them are comforting the townspeople, their family and friends. If the call isn’t too important or it can be handled by another precinct, then Shinichi won't interrupt their grief. 

_ “Calling all available officers, a suspicious suspect has been spotted near the bank. The man is about 193cm, thin, with short hair, and wearing all black. Calling for back-up. _ ”

The message ends with a buzz. No one answers the call. 

Shinichi stares at the patrol car, then looks around. Everybody is still preoccupied, distracted by the end of the case. Maybe if he’s careful…

“What do you think you’re doing, Shinichi?” 

He jumps at the voice. 

“Good job with the case, by the way. You should have told me that you were a detective,” Kaito says, clapping a hand on his shoulder. 

“It wasn’t much…” Shinichi says, trying to extricate himself from the conversation. He only has a few moments to answer back the message. 

“Mah, it was quite impressive,” Kaito says, giving him a smile that spells out trouble. It doesn’t look like Shinichi can get out of this so easily. 

“Well, I’m trying to keep a low profile,” Shinichi says. Even as the words come out of his mouth, he wants to glance over to the patrol car. Kudo Shinichi is supposed to be keeping a low profile, but if a member of the Black Organization has escaped the raid, then it's his responsibility to catch them. 

But before he can separate himself from the man, the police radio comes to life again, repeating the message again. Shinichi follows Kaito’s eyes to the police car. His expression doesn’t falter, but his eyes sharpen. When his gaze comes back to Shinichi’s, Kaito can’t hide the intensity of his interest. 

“How interesting,” Kaito says with a smile, his voice light. 

“One of yours?” Shinichi says back, casual. 

Kaito blinks. His mouth falls open and for a moment, he is unable to speak. He’s surprised. 

The reaction tells him that Kaito is not a Crow, and Shinichi already determined the man is a law enforcement agent. Maybe he’s part of another party that is concerned by the Crows? The Black Organization has made many enemies over the years. An enemy of his enemy is supposed to be Shinichi’s friend, but there are criminals other than the Black Organization. However, as long as Kaito isn’t a Crow, then he isn’t Shinichi’s top priority at the moment. 

But revealing Shinichi’s knowledge of the Crows is a calculated risk, one he’s not willing to take yet. He waits to see what Kaito’s next move is. 

Kaito stares at him, before taking a look around. No one is watching them. Kaito walks briskly to the police car and Shinichi follows. He has a feeling he knows what the other man is about to do; he was about to do the same. 

Kaito grabs the radio and rattles off an officer’s name, a patrol car number, and the protocol for getting the information of the incident, all in a voice different from his usual one. His voice is deeper and the way he’s talking is different; his syllables and vowels are changed to match the intonations of the townsfolk, his syntax is different, and he’s even speaking in keigo. The voice he uses isn’t too different from his own, but the changes are enough that no one would think Kaito is the one impersonating an officer. Whoever Kaito is, he isn’t an amateur. 

Kaito smoothly ends the call and they make their way towards Kaito’s bike, although Kaito is walking a touch too fast to be completely casual. Shinichi has to speed up to catch up with Kaito’s strides. 

The man is determined. Shinichi looks at his expression and recognizes that whatever issue Kaito has with the Crows, it’s personal. 

“Do you have a plan?” Shinichi asks softly. 

Kaito’s eyes flick back to him, “I’ll wing it.” 

Oh boy. Well, sometimes the best plans are made on the fly. However, Shinichi worries about Kaito’s mindset. It doesn’t seem like Kaito can go about this objectively and calmly. The stakes are too high for them to go into this sloppily. 

“Talk me through the plan?” Shinichi asks. 

Kaito’s lips press together, but then he sighs. 

“So here’s what I know…” 

Kaito describes how a group of men always dressed in black stole ‘items of interest’. He doesn’t say what the items are or how this affects him, but Shinichi understands how difficult it can be to talk about the Black Organization. 

Kaito’s plan is to take the item first and potentially hand it over to the police depending on what it is. It’s a rather interesting plan because it ultimately relies on them being better thieves than the men in black. 

Which really says something about Kaito. Or is the man in the industry of catching thieves?

(After all, being a good detective means being smarter than the culprits.)

However, Shinichi has no time to think more about it, because they quickly make their way towards the bank. 


	5. The Heist

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They go and scout out the bank, which turns into a heist, which turns into something a little more heated...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Word Count: ~4.6k

\-----

It’s amazing how quickly they read each other’s minds. There’s no back and forth, but an unspoken agreement to proceed with the plan. They hop onto Kaito’s bike and they immediately take off at breath-taking speeds, while Shinichi helps navigate with Kaito’s phone. Kaito’s taking a big risk allowing Shinichi use his phone, but he cares more about the enemy that’s about to steal a potential Pandora. Apparently there’s a private collector that uses a bank in the area to store their collection. 

Kaito’s mind races with the possibilities of what’s happening. Some of the men in black probably escaped the raid. A bank robbery would be an easy way for the escapees to gather capital and steal a potential Pandora in one go. Could it be Snake? Kaito tightens his grip on his bike. Even if Snake isn’t there, Kaito may be able to use one of the robbers to lead him to Snake. (Snake was a wily one, and surely the man couldn’t have been captured by just anyone). 

They end up stopping a few blocks away from the bank and walking Kaito’s motorcycle the rest of the distance. They come from the back of the building, which turns out to be a smart choice; there are a few non-descript cars (empty) scattered around the bank. Definitely more than one person. It’s a whole team. 

When they get closer, they can hear low voices inside the bank. Not good. If they aren’t trying to be quiet, then the thieves are going to brute force their way inside. Kaito hopes there weren’t any guards in the bank. 

Kaito determines they must be going after a private collection. The team would have been much quicker if they were only grabbing cash. 

“What’s the plan?” Shinichi murmurs into his ear. 

If he wasn’t a been a professional, Kaito would have jumped. Shinichi is close, so close that he can feel the heat radiating from his body and his breath against his ear. Giving himself a mental shake, Kaito tries to fall into the mindset of Kaito Kid. He has to concentrate on the job. With a thief’s eye, he takes in the bank and thinks about Shinichi’s question. Now if he had to rob the bank quickly, how would he do it?

A plan hatches in his head when he sees that the bank is connected to a general store. 

“Follow me,” Kaito says, and Shinichi does. 

They sneak towards the store and Kaito makes quick work of the security system. 

“What’s the plan?” Shinichi asks curiously. He’s surprisingly nonjudgmental considering he just saw Kaito disable a security system in seconds. In fact, he sounds curious and maybe a little impressed. (Kaito tries not to preen at the attention. It’s not a very impressive system, but the low whistle Shinichi makes when he sees Kaito dismantling it in seconds sends a small shiver up Kaito’s spine. His audiences never seem to be impressed by the small things like this that go into a heist. And having an audience, an appreciative audience, during this part of the heist is a novelty.) 

“You see how the back of buildings are touching each other? Considering there are no major ventilation ducts in the sides, there must be some connecting this building and the bank,” Kaito explains. 

“That makes sense,” Shinichi says. “Where will we come out?” 

“As long as we’re in the inner layer of the bank’s security, it doesn’t matter. I’m hoping for a staff break room. Those crooks have to break through the teller area, but I’m hoping we’ll bypass the first security layer by going through the back.” Kaito sure hopes they arrive in a break room or the bathrooms. The staff areas mean minimal security and potentially no cameras, not to mention they’ll have bypassed several layers of security the men in black need to get through. 

“Less security and cameras, and it would make sense to have shared ventilation between less secure areas,” Shinichi says, catching on quickly. 

“That’s right,” Kaito agrees, and they share a quick smile. Kaito turns back to his work a second later and he wonders if it’s just him who almost gets caught up in the moment. 

Kaito swiftly picks the locks to the bathroom and they go through the ceiling and find- vents, perfect. Shinichi gamely follows, quite easily, although not as sure-footed as Kaito is. Kaito can’t help but be impressed himself. After a short trip through the vents, they open up the adjoining vent into- the staff room. The room is just big enough to fit a few desks and a kitchenette with a fridge. Perfect, this is probably where employees would drop off their purses and lunches. 

“You were right,” Shinichi says, impressed. 

Kaito feels a burst of happiness and pride, but doesn’t let it show on his face. (His plans usually never go this smoothly.) “Of course. Now help me look for some keys,” Kaito says and starts rummaging around the desks. 

“Shouldn’t we be trying to open the vault that holds the private collection?” Shinichi asks, even as he starts opening drawers. 

“Yeah, but in this sort of work environment with a staff room and permanent desks? Someone always leaves their keys behind,” Kaito mumbles as he starts rifling through coats and jackets that were left behind. He finds a few knick knacks and money, but nothing that says, ‘master keys’. 

Shinichi shrugs. “That’s true,” and he goes back to work, now that he knows what he’s looking for. 

Kaito pulls out odds and ends that may help out, including a map of the building and a pad of sticky notes with numbers on them. 

“Kaito, what about this safe?” 

Kaito comes over to Shinichi. The safe is nestled in one of the sturdier desks, clearly someone from upper management. He gently jiggles the mechanism, knowing that there won’t be an alarm. There’s a number pad, key hole, and a turn number lock. The safe is heavy and fireproof. 

Kaito shakes his head. “There’s unlikely to be anything that we’re looking for in there. It probably holds money or contracts for the bank. But I’ll open it just in case.” He can break into it easily enough and it won’t hurt to check. 

\-----

Shinichi watches as Kaito methodically works through the safe’s defenses. Each piece is summarily considered, beaten and discarded, one by one. 

While Shinichi has always been.. loose when it comes to following rules, he’s only done so to protect people and to pursue the truth. His spur of the moment actions are much different than someone who clearly knows what they’re doing. Especially Kaito, who must be a master at his craft. Shinichi can’t help but be impressed, even though what they are doing is very illegal. 

Shinichi continues to watch Kaito. He wonders what is Kaito’s thought process and how he reaches his conclusions. He wishes he could pick Kaito’s brain, maybe over another meal…

Shinichi shakes his head. Those thoughts could wait until another time. 

\-----

Kaito pops open the safe and is disappointed to see he’s right. There are contracts and paperwork in the safe and nothing else. He roots through it just to make sure he didn’t miss anything. 

“Nothing?” Shinichi says, disappointed. 

“Nothing…” Kaito repeats. He’s pulling away from the safe, and accidentally pulls on one of the drawers above it. Whoops, he moves the drawers back and then pauses. 

..Wait a moment. He moves the drawer in, and then out. There’s something about the way it’s rolling… He pulls the drawer above it to compare them. They’re different. 

Then he starts tapping at the bottom of the drawer. His brows fly up. There’s a false bottom in the drawer. Using his nails, he pries the bottom off, revealing- a set of keys. A whole ring of them. 

“Who puts their master key set in a drawer with a false bottom?” Shinichi asks with a laugh. 

“The kind of person who’s entrusted with someone’s private collection,” Kaito replies, shaking his head with a grin. 

Shinichi laughs again, like he’s having fun, like he gets it, like he understands the thrill of the heist. Oh boy. It’s one thing to see the other man smile and think he’s handsome, but it’s entirely different to have him smile during the heist (because of the heist) and think he’s- 

Kaito swallows. 

He doesn’t follow that train of thought, he can’t. 

Kaito stands and says, “Come on, let’s beat them at their own game.” 

\-----

From there Kaito breezes through the rest of the security like it’s nothing. He has the map he found, the pad of sticky notes with what turns out to be door codes, and the keys. When he doesn’t have the key to a door, he bypasses the security skillfully and easily. 

All Shinichi has to do is be quiet and enjoy the ride. 

He’s thoroughly impressed by the other man’s skill. There are similarities between his ability and the other thieves Shinichi’s met. Although the only thief he’s faced with regularity is Kaito Kid, and the way they move is similar, but- that can’t be right. Shinichi shakes his head. Of course they’re similar, all thieves must have similar skill sets. It wasn’t odd that they would share a trait or two. (And Kaito must be in a league of his own, Shinichi theorizes. The phantom thief is good, but Kaito was something special.)

Kaito bypasses a vault door and Shinichi follows only to stop dead in his tracks by the sight before him. In front of them is a laser grid (why would a local bank have a fancy laser grid?) and Shinichi can’t help but balk at the sight. Like something from a goddamn movie, a glass case displaying large jewel sits in the middle of the lasers. It’s a lovely thing, bright and shiny despite the lack of light, taunting them. 

“Stay here, I’ll get it,” Kaito says. He’s stretching and wow, is he flexible- Shinichi has to look away so he doesn’t stare. 

“I trust you,” Shinichi replies. “In fact, I’m looking forward to the show,” he says, before he can stop himself. Oh god, that’s terrible. Why did he say that? Why was he so awkward in front of competent (and good-looking) people, especially those that were in their element. 

Shinichi risks a quick peek at the man and sees Kaito smirking at him. Shinichi’s heart skips a beat and begins to speed up. 

“Then keep your eyes on me,” Kaito says, his voice low. Then he winks. 

Shinichi almost combusts then and there. Shinichi knows that Kaito’s not serious, the man was clearly the type to always be lighthearted in any situation. And he knows that his voice is low and soft like a caress in order to stay under the radar of the Black Organization members in the building. There are an innumerable number of innocent reasons for Kaito to be flirting. 

But the words send a shiver down Shinichi’s spine anyway and he wants to respond to them. 

Thankfully, before Shincihi can garble out a response, Kaito takes a running leap and is gracefully dodging the lasers. He steadily makes his way towards the jewel. 

Shinichi watches, his eyes glued on the man’s form. To Shinichi, watching Kaito work is an  _ experience _ and he doesn’t want to take his eyes off him. 

Shinichi loosens his shirt collar. He’s a bit warm and his heart is beating harder than usual.

The man reaches the jewel with ease and wraps his legs around the jewel stand. Kaito contorts himself so he’s off the ground, but still able to work on the security systems. It doesn’t look like it’ll take very long for Kaito to finish. 

Shinichi tugs at his collar again. Then he decides to just unbutton the damn thing. His neck is sweaty and he’s too warm, even though he’s not wearing his usual bow tie.

That’s odd. A room like this should be temperature controlled at all times so why would he be so damn hot-

His heart beats out of his chest. 

Shinichi immediately clutches his chest, but no, his heart is still contained inside his rib cage. It only feels like it’s trying to come out, beating hard and fast in a way he’s experienced only a few times before. Can Kaito hear it-? No, he’s concentrating on the task in front of him (thank goodness). He can’t see Shinichi, who’s suddenly in massive amounts of pain because the antidote is wearing off. Shit, it didn’t even last 24 hours. 

There’s a ‘thump’ outside their door, so loud that even Kaito spares it a glance. The Black Organization must be right outside. 

This is the worst case scenario: Kudo Shinichi turning into Edogawa Conan in front of the Crows. 

(And in front of Kuroba Kaito.)

He makes eye contact with Kaito, who nods in understanding. In seconds, Kaito has the jewel in hand and is flying through the laser grid back to Shinichi, who is tapping out a quick message while the other man is distracted. There’s a crash, louder than the prior noise, and closer. 

There’s another stab of pain and Shinichi can feel his breath shorten as his lungs constrict. 

A hand catches his own. 

“Come on,” Kaito pulls him towards the exit- but the Crows are right outside. 

Shinichi resists for a moment before Kaito says, “Trust me.” 

And Shinichi does.

They come through the same door as before- but no one is outside. Kaito pulls them and then they’re sprinting through the corridor. Shinichi can hear people getting closer, they’re going to get caught- But Kaito kicks the doorknob off of a door, and yanks them both inside. They close the door right as men from the Black Organization round the corner. 

Shinichi is in Kaito’s arms and he stays stock still. Kaito holds him close, tightening his arms around him, as they hear people pass by. Shinichi tenses. Will the Crows notice the door with it’s missing doorknob? 

Everything’s loud in Shinichi’s ears: their breathing, his heartbeat, and the footsteps right outside. Only when the Crows pass does Shinichi let out a shaky breath. His heart is beating even harder and he clings onto Kaito, using him as a support because the pain is worse now. 

There’s another sound and another round of people are passing by their door. Kaito moves and suddenly Shinichi is upright against the wall. They’re in a closet and Shinichi stays still so Kaito has enough room to work. Kaito swiftly displaces a tile in the ceiling. 

“Come on, I’ll boost you up,” Kaito whispers. 

Shinichi almost argues back. He wants to tell Kaito to leave him behind and escape on his own, but the pain becomes unbearable, and he can’t even speak. He accepts Kaito’s help, climbing up into the ceiling (slowly, too slowly). Kaito jumps up after him and once he’s up, puts the tile back into place. They travel at a slow measured pace (which is completely Shinichi’s fault) before reaching a vent. They slip inside and Kaito leads them back to the convenience store. 

It’s good that Kaito is leading so he can’t see Shinichi gasping in pain. As it is, he’s having trouble holding his breath and keeping quiet. He’s put to the test when they pass by an open grate. Though the slits they can see some Crows, rummaging through the room. 

BANG 

Something clatters against the metal of the vent. They jump and Kaito immediately yanks Shinichi so he’s covering him with his body. Shinichi lets out a sharp gasp and Kaito slaps a palm over his mouth. 

They freeze. 

The men in the other room curse and laugh, but they don’t open the vent. The men in black don’t realize they’re there. 

Shit. Everything is making Shinichi jumpy and he’s sloppy because the antidote is wearing off. It’s a good thing that Kaito can cover for him. 

\----- 

That was close, Kaito thinks. The sound of reverberating metal had been terrifying. Kaito feared they might have been discovered (Kaito had checked, none of them are Snake), but Kaito realizes the sound is from something being knocked around. They’re fine, undiscovered, although that doesn’t mean they can relax. 

Kaito checks to see how Shinichi is doing- and realizes he’s on top of the man, pinning him down with his body, hand still over his mouth. 

The man doesn’t look too perturbed Maybe a bit manic, but that’s not exactly unusual in this situation. 

Thank god Kaito can keep a poker face. If he couldn’t, he probably would have jerked back, hitting his head against the vent- alerting the bad guys to their position. However, he keeps calm and doesn’t react to their current predicament. (Although he swallows when he becomes acutely aware of Shinichi’s warm body pressed against him.) Kaito slowly takes his hand away and maneuvers so he’s in front again. When he starts moving, Shinichi follows him, albeit slowly. 

It’s only when they get back out to the alley that Kaito allow himself to take a deep breath. 

Then he hears the roar of a car in the distance and he and Shinichi press themselves against the building wall. Run to his motorcycle? No, that would be too suspicious and they may not get away in time. It might be better to go back in the building and regroup. 

“They’re here,” Shinichi whispers. 

Who’s here? 

And then Kaito hears it. More cars. In a matter of minutes, the front of the bankis being blockaded by dozens of cars. The people who come out of them are non-descript agents, dressed in suits or riot gear, but none in all black. 

“I called backup,” Shinichi explains. 

Damn. That reaffirms for Kaito that Kudo Shinichi is one of the good guys. He must have some pull, too, in order to get this many people to come at his command. 

The squadrons of secret agents descend upon the bank like a pack of wolves. In mere minutes, the men in black are trussed up and being taken away. Shinichi and Kaito watch the controlled chaos from their hiding place. 

Surprisingly, Shinichi does not go out and greet them. Instead he stays by Kaito’s side and taps out a message on a small device. 

Knowing the man is a secret agent is both reassuring and troubling. Troubling for all the reasons Kaito thought of before, but now that he knows for sure, Kaito can finally ask the man all the questions he’s been holding back. Like, what was Shinichi doing outside of the raid? What was he doing with Kaito? Why didn’t he go out and greet all of those agents? Maybe Shinichi thought Kaito was part of that shady organization, but if he did, surely he’d be arresting Kaito as well? 

Speaking of... while Shinichi is distracted, Kaito quickly looks through the jewel in the moonlight. 

Nothing. He hadn’t been expecting Pandora, but he always had to check. Kaito slips the jewel into a prepared baggy. He would go drop it off in the mailbox or into someone’s pocket once the chaos dies down. 

Shinichi turns back to him and Kaito quickly hides the jewel away. 

“You did it,” Shinichi says, admiration coloring his voice. “You stole the jewel before the men in black could get to it.”

Kaito almost flushes (almost). “ _ We _ did it,” he manages to squeak out. 

Shinichi shakes his head. “No. Without your skills, they might have been able to get the jewel and leave before backup arrived.”

The comment makes Kaito warm, and he’s flushed for sure now. He hopes it’s dark enough that Shinichi can’t see how the praise affects him. He wants to say something like, ‘you too’ or ‘I couldn't have done it without you’, but the words don’t come out. No one’s complimented him like this, like an ally. He’s always received back-handed compliments by his opposition, but this- this is new. 

But then again, maybe he wouldn’t react this way to anyone else besides Shinichi. 

Shinichi, the big dork who has a bow tie and a Kamen Yaiba wallet, who’s a brilliant and kind detective, and who is somehow okay with Kaito and his peculiar talents. 

Shinichi who’s staring at him with shining, admiring eyes. 

Very shiny eyes, now that Kaito looks closer. Shinichi’s also breathing a little hard and looking flushed, and not in a good way (not that the man is any less handsome). Kaito had thought it was due to the heist’s excitement, but now that he looks closer, Shinichi doesn’t look like he’s doing too well. Now that he recalls, he had thought Shinichi was moving slowly in the bank…

He was perfectly fine in the restaurant. What changed?

Before Kaito can ask, they’re interrupted by the sound of a closing door. They both jump and look at the source of the noise. Standing outside the alley near the convenience store, is a familiar man. 

Kaito jolts. 

He recognizes the man. Okiya Subaru, that’s his name. He lived in Kudo Shinichi’s home for awhile and Kaito had considered using the man as a disguise a few times in the past. He never did, because it was never to his benefit, but now he’s glad he didn’t. The man is clearly connected to- everything. 

“Kudo,” the man says, voice clear and calm. His voice, no, his very presence makes Kaito’s hairs stand on end. Despite his mild mannered appearance, Kaito can tell this man is dangerous. “I’m here to pick you up,” the man continues. 

Although he’s addressing Shinichi, his eyes slide over to Kaito. He stares, taking Kaito in, before returning his gaze to Shinichi. Kaito can’t help but drop into a ready stance. His hands twitch, and his instincts are telling him to grab Shinichi and run. 

He catches movement in the corner of his eye- it’s Shinichi, who’s nodding. 

At the reply, Okiya Subaru nods back and goes back to sit in the driver's seat of the car. He’s no longer visible and Kaito relaxes. 

He turns to Shinichi, who’s looking paler than before.

“I guess this is goodbye,” Shinichi says, a small, rueful smile on his face. “Don’t worry, I’ll let the others know you’re not involved.” 

‘Goodbye’? Kaito mouths. 

Kaito doesn’t want to say goodbye. What he wants to do is steal Shinichi away somewhere safe and bundle him up tightly so he can get better and not be driven around by murderous secret agents. Kaito wants to get Shinichi a hot drink and let him relax. He wants to have Shinichi to shake his head at Kaito’s antics, but still be smiling, amused at Kaito’s behavior. And then he wants to take Shinichi out for a romantic dinner when he’s all better… 

But Kaito can’t. He’s in completely uncharted territory here with clearly-a-secret-agent Kudo Shinichi. Kaito doesn’t really know anything at all about the man. (He doesn’t know how Shinichi would react to being whisked away, or taken care of, or being asked out.) 

Maybe Shinichi getting sick so suddenly has to do with why he dropped off the map as a detective. Maybe Okiya Subaru is his best chance at getting better. Why should Kaito interfere? And even if the agent is about to do something dastardly to Shinichi, what is Kaito going to do, fight off a whole squadron of agents to save him?

(The answer is yes. If Shinichi asked him to, then he would. But Shinichi doesn’t, so it’s a moot point.) 

So instead of doing what he wants, Kaito takes Shinichi’s offer of a handshake (his hand is clammy and trembling, and Kaito gently squeezes it in concern) and then lets him go. Shinichi offers him a parting smile before turning to the car and getting in. 

The car starts and he watches the car drive away until it’s only a speck in the distance. 

He needs to drop the jewel off, get his motorcycle, and go home. 

Shaking his head, Kaito tries to forget the image of Shinichi looking back at him.

\-----

Shinichi watches Kaito in the side view mirror until he blinks. Then the man is gone from his sight. 

He squeezes his eyes shut, because of the pain and to stop himself from staring into the mirror where he knows he can’t see Kaito anymore. 

He wanted to say more to Kaito. Maybe find out why Kaito had been in the area. Ask him about his eccentric skills. Find out more about what made the man tick, and unwrap the mystery that is Kuroba Kaito. 

But his heart is trying to beat out of his chest and his whole body is burning. 

Since it’s an experimental drug, Shinichi has no idea how long it will be before his body starts shrinking. He had pushed himself through the heist, but after getting the jewel, the symptoms had accelerated and he knew it would only be a matter of time before he turned back. He couldn’t risk being seen turning back into Conan, especially when Subaru-san just informed him that not every Crow had been captured in the raid. 

However, that meant leaving Kaito behind, without a clue on how to contact him. 

He’s starting to regret leaving so quickly, especially since he hasn’t started steaming/turning back yet. (Although he is in mind-numbing pain. But he could have pushed past the pain to talk to Kaito just a little bit longer.) 

“You know, I think this is the first time I’ve seen you like this,” Subaru-san says, conversationally. 

Shinichi cracks open an eye and looks at Subaru- no, Akai Shuichi-san. The man is smiling. 

“Intellectually, I knew you were the same person, but now that I’m meeting you face-to-face, it’s certainly impressive what’s happened to you. I can see how you’ve stayed hidden for so long,” he continues. 

Shinichi chokes out a laugh. Trust Akai-san to find this interesting. 

“Well, don’t freak out, but you’re going to see me change any second now,” Shinichi warns between gritted teeth. 

Akai’s eyes flick over to him before returning to the road. “You mean…” 

“I’m going to start shrinking. The process for turning into Conan is excruciatingly painful,” he says bluntly. Best to let the man know what’s going to happen. 

He’s about to say more, when he doubles over and starts hacking. 

Akai-san looks at him, clearly alarmed when Shinichi doesn’t show any sign of stopping. Shinichi clutches at his chest and throws a hand over his mouth, even though it does nothing to stop the coughing. He coughs until all the air leaves his lungs, and then he coughs some more. God, his insides are burning. His heart almost leaps out of his chest and tumbles out in front of him, so he sits back, as if that simple movement could help prevent it from happening. 

“Kudo, what do you need me to do?” Akai-san asks. 

Shinichi shakes his head. “It’s normal,” he chokes out. Then adds, “Haibara knows.” 

Akai-san nods and then presses down on the gas, making the car speed up.

Steam starts to rise from his body, and Shinichi knows he’s about to change back. He tries not to tense, he knows what’s going to happen now. He’ll be fine. He has Akai-san by his side and Ai will know what to do. 

He’s gasping now, his lungs are trying to suck in as much air as possible, as if they know they’re about to start shrinking. His vision starts to swim in front of him. Sweat starts to pour down his face, and all he can hear is his heart beating loudly in his ears. 

He’s in so much pain right now. It’s white hot, burning him from the inside out. He should just let go, pass out, he’ll be fine, but Shinichi can’t help but give Akai-san one last message before he does:

“Let Haibara know that this antidote formula is even worse than the last one.” 

And then he’s out. 


	6. Waking Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Conan is awake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Word Count: ~1.8k

\-----

He wakes up to a cool hand against his forehead. He turns his head into the touch so he can see the person attached to it. However, his eyes are gritty and they don’t want to open. The hand gently removes itself and taps at the middle of his forehead. He flinches and the person above him lets out a soft sigh. 

Oh. It’s Ai. He would recognize that long suffering sigh anywhere. 

Huh. The hand against his forehead hadn’t been too small, which meant that he was back to being Conan. 

Conan finally manages to pry his eyes open to see Ai above him, a soft smile on her face. 

“Welcome back, Conan-kun,” she says. 

Her eyes are suspiciously shiny and her fingers gently brush against the fringe of his bangs. Her voice is soft, so soft. In addition to her smile, it’s almost too much for him. This is what Haibara Ai- no, Miyano Shiho looks like when she’s relieved. The perpetual weight that had been lowering her shoulders and turning her mouth into a frown has finally been lifted. 

That’s good. It means that the raids were successful enough to bring her relief. Conan is glad, and so happy for her. This is everything she’s ever wanted. 

“I’m back,” he manages to say, the words barely making it past his lips. 

Conan is back. 

\-----

He had been sleeping for days, an unexpected result of using the antidote. But after waking, he recovers quickly and makes it back to school with only a few absences. Thankfully, the experimental antidote hasn’t done any ‘notable harm to his body’ (Ai’s exact words). They go to school like normal, hang out with the Detective Boys like usual, and everything is the same as before, except that the both of them know that everything has changed. So many things have changed and they don’t know where to start. 

They continue their days like normal (painfully normal) and in the evenings they meet up to deal with- with everything else. Conan continues to coordinate with the various law enforcement agencies in order to catch the rest of the Crows. He hypothesizes that it will take time for all of them to be stamped out, but with the capture of their leaders, the Black Organization should be permanently crippled. Conan wouldn’t allow them to survive for very long, he would be sure to dismantle them completely. He’ll continue to monitor the situation to make sure that nothing arises from the organization’s ashes. 

He made this promise to Ai, who had given him a smile and another gentle flick. She says she's: “Looking forward to it. After all, you’ve already fulfilled the first promise”. (She says this even after finding out that Vermouth might not have been captured.)

As Conan works with the law enforcement agencies, Ai is busy sifting through all the research that is unearthed from the organization. There are thousands upon thousands of files and hundreds of subjects of research to look through. She tries to concentrate on the files concerning APTX 4869, but after finding some troubling files, she realizes she needs to address them before they grow out of hand. 

In between late nights and cups of strong tea (and many cups of coffee), they talk. Mostly about the Crows and the information they find, but also about the future. The future they’ve always imagined is finally here, but here they are, buried in paperwork and the pile of corpses (metaphorical and literal) left behind by the Crows. 

They’re looking over records of human experiments, specifically a project that Ai’s parents have participated in. It’s one of the most recent projects not involving Sherry, and Ai has to make sure that all traces are destroyed. For her peace of mind, Conan is there to double-check her work. 

“I’m not going to take the antidote,” Ai confesses that night. 

Conan looks up from his files in surprise. “You’re not?” 

She shakes her head. “It’s better for Miyano Shiho and for Sherry to disappear along with the remains of the organization. Besides, living as Haibara Ai isn’t too bad. I’ve built a good life around the silly name,” she says with a soft huff. Her tone is fond though, for the name that she once laughed at and called lame. 

_ Then why are you trying to find a cure? _ Is what Conan doesn’t ask.

He’s more aware than that. If not to find a cure for herself, then it’s for him. She should take her time, he wants to say. There are other things that should be prioritized, he almost says. 

He stays silent. He’ll thank her by helping her wade through the organization’s skeletons. 

However, after their talk, Conan finds himself observing Ai more. In the following days she looks happier, she smiles easier, and she’s been letting herself be more girlish and childish. He comes back to the professor’s one day, ready to work, and finds that she’s off visiting Ayumi for dinner. 

She’s serious about staying as Haibara Ai. 

It shouldn’t be that big of a surprise to him, Ai has always been the serious one, the one keeping them steady on this path. She's never been one to be fickle. When she says she’ll do something, she does it. 

Conan has to sit down for a moment. 

He lays across the armchair, taking advantage of the fact that he’s young and flexible enough to stay seated in such an awkward position. (He almost doesn’t fit because he’s grown taller. He’s almost hit puberty again.) His body relaxes and he takes a moment for himself. He pushes thoughts of responsibilities out of his mind, pushes the Crows out of his mind, and thinks. 

He’s already graduated high school. With a combination of online tests and his parent’s influence, he was able to graduate at the same time Ran and Sonoko did. He could go to university, but the thought didn’t appeal to him. Perhaps if he had some friends to go to school with…

(Ran and him were over. They had managed to let each other go after their- really her graduation. It was too much to ask her to wait, not when the reason why they were so close to each other was because they had always been by each other’s sides. From when they were young, Ran and Shinichi could always count on the other to be there, even when their parents couldn’t be. 

So how could Shinichi let Ran devote herself to him when he couldn’t be there for her in the way it mattered?) 

If he turned back to Kudo Shinichi, he would have to give up his current friends and connections. It was surprising how many people he had grown close to as Conan. Or maybe it was retribution for all the lying. He could only make friends with his squeaky clean name. (Maybe things would have been different if Edogawa Conan had been using the Kudo name.) He would lose them once he turned back. 

He doesn’t know if he could explain what happened to him. And he can’t imagine how some people could forgive him for all the lies and secrets. Not to mention the attention it may bring to Ai. If people knew that Conan had been turned into a child, people would know there would be more. 

Perhaps he could work with those who already knew his secret: Heiji and Akai-san. 

Continuing to work with Akai-san and the FBI might be nice. Maybe with his contacts he could join without having to explain the change. Collaborating with the FBI would also give him the resources to clean up the Crows. However, he didn’t want to be tied down to the FBI. He had dedicated himself to Beika and even as Kudo Shinichi he wanted to stay in Japan and protect his home. 

As for Heiji, his friend was done with the police academy and is an impressive officer in his own right. Although Heiji would welcome him with open arms, he would have to once again earn his position with the police. Just the thought tired him out. (God, it would be the third time.)

Does he want to become Kudo Shinichi again? 

Is there anything waiting for him in his other life? 

Would it be worth it? 

(Was there anything worthwhile in his life as Kudo Shinichi?) 

The memory of a moonlit ride on a motorcycle and a bright laugh cut through his melancholy. 

Conan shakes his head. His most recent return as Kudo Shinichi had been- okay. Fun even. The start of the night as Shinichi had been rough, but the rest of the night had been enjoyable. 

But that had been a one off. The circumstances- the night itself had been strange. 

Another memory cuts through his mind: sharing a secretive smile during a high stakes endeavor with a handsome stranger. And before that, a laser focused pair of eyes holding his gaze even as Shinichi walked a town through a terrible deduction. The whole night the other man’s eyes never wavered nor looked away. They looked straight through him. 

So perhaps, Shinichi has become.. infatuated. He can admit that. What had been looking like a terrible night turned into a pleasant- no, exciting- no  _ interesting  _ night, due to the presence of one, Kuroba Kaito. 

It’s been awhile since there was someone new who could match him, be his partner. And unlike the others, there had been a notable frisson between them, instant chemistry. (A feeling not dissimilar to what he used to have with Ran. He had thought he would never feel like that again.)

But the chances of meeting Kaito again are low, too low. (Kuroba, Shinichi reminds himself. He really should be calling him Kuroba.) Maybe if Kaito (damnit, Kuroba) ran in the same circles as anyone he knew, then he wouldn’t mind seeing him again. He entertained that fantasy for a second before shaking his head. It was just that, a fantasy. 

He wouldn’t search him out. It wouldn't be viable if he’s still Conan. It could only work if they met again when he’s Shinichi. 

The chances of that are even less probable than meeting him as Conan. Nearly impossible. 

Conan sighs. 

This is like Ran all over again. 

He can’t meet Kaito unless he turns into Shinichi, and he isn’t about to prioritize the antidote over dealing with the other research produced by the Crows. How long would that be? Not soon enough that he should hold onto the hope that something may develop between them. No, just like with Ran, Conan would have to let him go. 

Conan let out a self-deprecating chuckle. With his luck, they would never run into each other again, and the night would only become an old, pleasant memory. 


	7. Telling the Tale

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happens after for Kaito.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Word Count: ~6.6k

\-----

It’s difficult letting Shinichi go. 

It’s one thing to know the man that he had been traveling with, (meitantei Kudo Shinichi, famous detective since high school, solver of many mysteries, and involved with many professional law enforcement agencies) and another to  _ see _ it. 

And then to admire him for it. 

When they had separated, Kaito had been struck with the desire to follow him. He didn’t want their night to end the way it did, and he had been tempted to- go with him, exchange information, plant a bug on him- anything- so that they wouldn’t be two ships passing in the night. Their goodbye felt too permanent. 

What had stopped Kaito was Okiya Subaru. Seeing the man’s face was jarring, a real connection to Kudo Shinichi’s life and removed from the Shinichi he had gotten to know. 

Kaito knew that Okiya Subaru had been staying at Kudo Shinichi’s home for many years now- the result of an offer from Edogawa Conan. But he also knew that the man was wearing a voice changer and a disguise and was very likely to be an undercover law enforcement agent. It’s a painful reminder that Shinichi- Kudo Shinichi, is deeply entrenched in the law and Kaito had decided long ago not to get involved with law enforcement, if only so he wouldn’t get hurt by the inevitable fallout. 

But he’s aching right now, missing the connection he made with Shinichi. 

So much for not getting hurt. 

How did he even connect with the man so easily? Even before his ascension to Kaito Kid, he never made connections easily. He had friendly acquaintances, but he learned very quickly early in his life that not many were understanding of his near obsession with magic and how it occupied a major part of his life. Then after becoming Kaito Kid, he had been careful to keep people at arm’s length. Dealing with Aoko and Ginzo-san (Inspector Nakamori now, he couldn’t let himself forget who the man is) has proven to him that it hurts less when he minimizes their involvement in his life. There are exceptions of course, Saguru and Akako, but even then it had been a tightrope walk of keeping a smiling poker face and not getting caught, when all he wanted to do was scream-

Well, they’re his friends now. 

Anyways, back to Kudo Shinichi. For Kaito to meet somebody and instantly connect with them, and then proceed to become closer through a murder investigation and a heist; he can barely believe it. It’s unbelievable, spectacular really. He could even say it was magical how things developed between them. 

These thoughts plague Kaito’s mind as he drives back home. He’s still riding an emotional rollercoaster when he gets back, which continues through a shower, a quick meal, and even as he crashes into bed. 

He can’t sleep; his body is twitching with energy, so he ends up staying awake the whole night. A few hours later he’s heading to university for classes, buoyed by the adrenaline from the previous night’s activities (similar to a good Kid heist, his mind supplies). His behavior must be normal enough, because Aoko doesn’t notice anything out of the ordinary. Unfortunately, her unexpected hanger-on does.

“What happened last night?” Akako hisses once they’re alone. Kaito’s nose wrinkles. What’s with the interrogation? Aoko had stepped away to go to the bathroom so he only needs to hold out until she gets back. 

“Last night? I don’t know,” Kaito says with a shrug, blithely ignoring the glare sent his way. “And why are you here? You don’t even go to this school,” he shoots back. 

“You know exactly what I’m talking about,” Akako continues icily, “And I’m here because of last night’s activities. Our lover asked me to accompany Aoko for the night.” 

Kaito mimes retching. He doesn’t need to think about the freaky things that the three of them get up to. It had been just his luck for Aoko to start dating not one, but both of his arch-nemeses. At least they don’t try to arrest him (Saguru) or kill him (Akako) anymore.

Akako jabs a pointed nail into his side and Kaito yelps. “Don’t be rude. Saguru was only worried about leaving Aoko and I alone. As for why I’m still here with her, it’s because Saguru hasn’t come back yet, and neither has Ginzo-san.” 

Kaito’s eyes widen. “What?” 

She leans in and Kaito does the same. She whispers, “They’re in contact with us, but whatever happened last night is taking a lot of resources. Ginzo-san will most likely be back soon, but Saguru-san’s services have been requested indefinitely.” 

That...is very interesting. Nakamori-keibu is head of the second police department, dealing mainly with high profile thefts. While Saguru is aiming for the same department, his detective skills are versatile in many other departments. Was Nakamori-keibu sent back, but Saguru kept to deal with the organization because the men in black didn’t specialize in theft? Did that mean that the men in black yesterday weren’t part of the organization that killed his father? 

No, the heist last night proved there is a connection. Maybe because Nakamori-keibu is the department head did the upper echelons decide to send him back. The police couldn’t keep all of the head honchos in one place for too long. 

“And?” Kaito asks. 

Akako gives him a haughty look. Kaito holds back a wince. She only seriously gives him one of those when she’s irritated and about to hex him. “As I’ve said, they’ve kept in contact,” Akako says with a sniff. 

“But no details,” Kaito concludes. 

She shakes her head. 

And that’s why Akako is coming to him for answers.

Well, he didn’t know anything relevant. Only theories, and the theories aren’t causing any harm being kept a secret from the others. (It has nothing to do with Kaito wanting to keep his night out a secret. Nope, not at all. The reason he wants to keep things a secret has nothing to do with his secret concerning Kaito Kid and his moonlit night with Shinichi.)

“I didn’t learn anything last night,” Kaito says, leaning back and adopting a bored tone. It’s close enough to the truth. 

Akako stares, her eyes boring into him. Kaito turns his head so he isn’t meeting her eyes. At times it’s easy to forget that she’s a living, breathing, powerful witch. When she’s this intense, it reminds Kaito that her magic could easily bend those to her will. While it hasn’t worked on him, he doesn’t want to push his luck right now. Kaito makes sure to keep calm and wait it out. 

An eternity later she sits back, primly sipping her coffee. Kaito relaxes. Looks like he survived another day. Geez, for a moment there he forgot that they’re at a cafe. He sips at his chocolate shake, disappointed to find it starting to melt. 

“There’s a power in saying words aloud,” Akako remarks. “And there’s power in keeping things secret.” 

The words hit their mark and Kaito looks away, unable to keep her gaze. 

“Mah, if you’re not going to talk to  _ me  _ about it, at least talk to her?” Akako gives him a pointed look. 

What does she mean by-

“Sorry!” 

Aoko slides into her seat so hard that the table jerks. Kaito has to move quickly to catch his shake and the other items that are jostled by the table. When the table is finally still, Kaito is left awkwardly clutching onto his stuff, unable to move. The shake is pressed against his chest, leaving a cold wet spot on his shirt, and his books are digging into his arms. 

Aoko merrily sips her own beverage, not even noticing until Akako gently directs her attention towards him. 

“Oh!” 

Aoko helps pluck a few items out of his arms and Kaito can finally move again. He sends a few dirty looks Akako’s way. She could have helped him. Aoko doesn’t even notice the looks. She looks distracted and absent-minded. She must really be worried for Saguru and Ginzo-san. 

“Everything alright, Aoko? Did you fall in or something? Kaito asks obnoxiously. 

Aoko swipes at him half-heartedly, “Of course not, BaKaito! Otou-san called! He’s coming back tonight and is inviting all of us to dinner!” 

“That’s wonderful, Aoko-san,” Akako says giving her a smile. 

Aoko settles in next to her girlfriend and grabs her hand and returns the smile tenfold. Akako flushes, turning a delicate shade of pink. Her whole body turns towards Aoko and she leans in closer and so does Aoko- blegh. Kaito looks away, they’re so genuine and mushy. 

“I’m glad I was worried for nothing,” Aoko says. “Saguru should be back soon, too.” 

“That is very good news.” 

“Yeah! But in the meantime, otou-san wants to celebrate.”

“Celebrate?” Kaito jumps in. It should be safe to turn back to them now. When he looks at them, they’re back to normal, except for the fact that they’re holding hands under the table. Are they even trying to be subtle?

“Apparently, there was a big win for the police?” Aoko says with a shrug. 

Interesting. Then the raid was thought to be successful, that’s good. However, he needs more details from Saguru and Nakamori-keibu. Best to act like normal and go to the celebratory dinner.

“Am I invited? Or am I just second choice because Hakuba Isn't here,” Kaito says with an eye roll. 

“Baka Kaito! Of course he wants you to come! He even mentioned that he wanted you to come and celebrate,” Aoko scolded. 

Kaito feels a pang of guilt at that. He would never get over the fact that Ginzo-san cheerfully invited him over to his house and all Kaito did was use him “Okay, yeah then, lets go.” 

“Aoko can’t wait!” She cheerfully declares, slipping into old habits. Another pang, more guilt, rhia time for his oldest friend. He’s been manipulating her for so long, what’s one more time? (He tries to not let it bring him down, not to let it eat him inside out. It hurts, using the people he loves for his own ends like his. But it should hurt, because he finds it within himself to do it again and again. It’s never just one time with him.)

Kaito pulls on a smile for her. “Me too. I can’t wait.” 

\----- 

They get through classes. Aoko is buoyed by the thought of having dinner with her father and the fact that she has Akako by her side. During class, they have their heads pressed together speaking in such soft voices that even Kaito, who’s sitting next to them, can’t hear what they’re saying. To their credit, Akako doesn’t distract Aoko from her classes. In fact, Aoko seems to take better notes than usual with Akako helping her focus. 

Afterwards, they make their way to the Nakamori household. When Aoko is able to spot signs that her father is already home, she breaks out into a run. Akako and Kaito are left in her dust. 

“Are you really okay?” 

Akako’s question breaks Kaito out of his reverie. Her tone is casual, but one look at her reveals the intensity of her interest. She eyes him, her brows furrowed- she’s worried for him, he finally realizes. 

“You look a little bit.. manic,” she continues and hands him a small mirror. 

Kaito takes a look, “It can’t be that bad-“ 

Huh. Or it could be pretty bad. 

It’s not bad in a terrible way, but the previous night’s events and lack of sleep have certainly caught up with Kaito’s appearance. There are deep bags under his eyes that actually bring out the whites of his eyes. Combined with the fact that his eyes are shiny from adrenaline, his eyes do look- crazy. There’s also a flush to his face and he’s visibly sweaty. He turns and geh, there’s a rough, red patch on his face: rugburn. He must have slammed his face against the floor when he and Shinichi evaded the men in black at the bank. Luckily it’s not too noticeable. (If it was, then Aoko would have said something). 

Maybe he can run into his house and put on some makeup? No, the Nakamori’s might notice. He can at least try to not look so sweaty… (But there’s nothing he can do about his crazy eyes.) Kaito starts wiping and Akako snatches the mirror out of his hands. 

“Don’t be so obvious,” she snaps. 

Kaito doesn’t answer, instead uses his time to fix himself up the best he can. By the time they reach the door, Kaito can say he’s a little less messy than before.

Akako opens the unlocked door and they make their way inside. (Kaito gets annoyed at how easily Akako makes herself at home here, a place that’s been his second home for years longer than she’s been around. She’s always been confident, but this is an ease born of familiarity.) 

Kaito hears Ginzo-san before he sees him:

“Akako-chan! Make yourself at home! I have a feast waiting for us!” 

He enters the room only to spot Ginzo-san in a familiar outfit. No-

“Kaito-kun! Take a seat!” Ginzo-san turns around to reveal a fi- fi- finny thing! 

“Heee!” Kaito barely keeps his scream to a small screech. 

“Don’t be like that, Kaito! There’s karaage and hamburgers as well,” Aoko says, gesturing to the table. 

Kaito carefully pries his eyes away from the terrible thing in front of him and sees that the table is heaped with good food. There are a lot of his favorites. There isn’t a fi-finny thing in sight. 

“The great Kaito Kid, laid low by a fish.” 

He breaks out in goosebumps at the word- and Kaito brushes Akako away from him as she giggles. 

“Don’t say that aloud,” he hisses back. 

Akako smirks at him and he turns away with a huff. 

Kaito settles down and starts to eat, while Ginzo-san dazzles the girls with his sashimi skills. He glances at the girls (careful not to put the finny thing in his sight): Aoko has a great big smile on her face and her eyes are bright. She’s so happy to have her father back, and Kaito suddenly feels guilty about not worrying more for the man. He cares for Ginzo-san too. The man has been a constant in his life for so long. Not a father figure, that would always be Kuroba Toichi, but someone kind he could rely on. (Although at many points in his life he thought that Ginzo-san might be something like a father-in-law figure.) 

That line of thought doesn’t cheer him up. In fact, it only serves to remind Kaito of how long this whole deception has been going on. Since when did he start thinking of his friends and family as enemies? 

Akako catches his eye and smirks at him. She deliberately grabs Aoko’s hand in front of him and makes sure to compliment Ginzo-san in a way that makes him laugh. 

..Or maybe it’s because his enemies have started to infiltrate his friends and family. 

He swore she did that on purpose, antagonizing him whenever she had the chance. It’s bad enough whenever Aoko gushes about her ‘perfect and super cute girlfriend’. She even finds the witchy traits endearing. But Kaito also has to deal with the fact that Ginzo-san thinks Akako is a great daughter-in-law. Feminine, dainty, a cool beauty (at least on the outside, Ginzo-san didn’t know about Akako’s witchy side), and a foil to Aoko’s bombastic and tomboyish nature. 

Kaito steadily makes his way through the food on the table in retaliation. However, even he can’’t make a significant dent on the feast. Soon, all four of them are seated and digging in (with all seafood carefully placed on the counter). 

Then the doorbell rings. Aoko is about to get out of her seat, when the door unlocks. Weird. There’s only one other person who has the key and who isn’t here, but Kaito thought they were still…

“Pardon me,” a familiar voice says. 

It’s Saguru, loaded down with bags. Kaito makes no move to help him, but everybody else does. 

“Stay seated Ginzo-san, we’ll help,” Akako says with a gentle hand to his shoulder. 

“Ah, thanks Akako-chan,” Ginzo says with a chuckle. “I’m glad you could make it Saguru-kun!” 

“Me too, Ginzo-san. I brought cake,” Saguru says. 

“Oh! I’ll take that! It’s from a pretty famous store too!” Aoko says, promptly reliving Saguru of his tasty burdens. 

When she comes close, he plants a soft kiss on her forehead. Aoko giggles, but pulls away. Akako goes to help remove Saguru’s bag and jacket. He gently catches her hand and kisses it while keeping her gaze. 

And here’s the other part of the triangle. The perfect son-in-law, Hakuba Saguru. 

Kaito had once joked that Saguru and Aoko were well suited to one another, but he hadn't realized at the time how true that was until they actually started dating. Saguru is a police officer, so he knows how to support and comfort Aoko and Ginzo-san. Saguru is gentlemanly and polite. Saguru can protect Aoko. 

(The perfect bastard.)

The three separate from one another and the moment is over. Saguru catches his eye and smiles in greeting, the smug bastard. He’s sure Saguru is just trying to rub his relationships in Kaito’s face. Kaito doesn’t allow himself to react. He isn’t interested in Aoko like that anymore. Kaito already accepted that if he continues to be Kaito Kid, then he and Aoko- that they aren’t possible. He and Akako are never going to be anything, not when he doesn’t know if she’s going to kiss him or kill him from one moment to the next. (Neither is he interested in Saguru, for the same reason. Either help him or arrest him, the detective is so wishy-washy.)

Too bad for him, because Kaito has someone else he’s interested in! 

Ah. 

..Well it’s true right? 

He hasn’t been interested in pursuing a relationship with Aoko (or anyone else) for a long time and his attraction to Shinichi cemented that. 

Back when they were younger, Aoko was his light in the dark. Not that that has changed; she is and always will be amazing to him. 

But Kudo Shinichi is something completely different: he’s  _ interesting _ . Aoko will always be his home, but she’s familiar to Kaito and holds no secrets. Not like Shinichi does. Shinichi is handsome, smart, astonishing- even Kaito can’t predict the man’s next move.  _ He went on a heist with Kaito _ \- how could Kaito not think that Shinichi is made for him?

Ginzo-san’s loud laugh breaks him out of his thoughts and Kaito returns his attention back to the table. Everyone is pouring drinks for the inspector and Kaito joins in. Then he uses the boisterous partying to subtly dig for information. 

However, in the back of his mind, Kaito can’t stop thinking about Kudo Shinichi. He finds himself wanting to ask the officers whether they personally know Shinichi, but holds himself back. He doesn’t think they have any connection other than possibly being acquainted with one another. It would probably be a bust to ask them. And it sounds like they didn’t know any interesting information about the raid, either. They probably weren’t very close to the action. 

Even distracted, Kaito manages to get his information, keep his poker face on during dinner, clean up, and shove Saguru and Akako out (politely) before one of the Nakamori’s invites them to stay for the night. Or worse, before they decide to stay with him. He only allows himself to relax once they’re out of sight. 

He heads back inside and helps Aoko gently roll a drunk Ginzo-san into bed. Then she pulls Kaito back into the kitchen and breaks out the leftover chocolate cake. 

“More dessert?” Kaito asks, amused. 

Aoko winks. “It’ll be our secret,” she says with a giggle. She plates two huge slices and Kaito makes them hot chocolate to go with it. 

With just the two of them giggling in the kitchen, it’s like they’re kids again. It feels like they’re doing something they shouldn’t be, even though they’re two grown-ass adults staying quiet so they don’t wake up Ginzo-san. They laugh and shush each other for no reason as they gobble down their treats. It’s been a while since it was the two of them like this. 

“Kaito…”

They’re polishing off the crumbs when Aoko speaks. “Is everything okay? Tonight you were strange, stranger than normal.”

“What do you mean strange? I’m totally normal,” Kaito replies. 

“Like you were preoccupied with something else, like you had something on your mind.” Aoko taps her chin and then stares into Kaito’s eyes. Kaito did his best not to flinch back from her straight-forward gaze. Could she tell that he had something to do with last night’s raid? “But it’s kinda different than usual…” 

Different than him being tired from Kid heists? Well then he has no idea what Aoko finds suspicious. 

“Maybe you’re just tired. It’s been a long day,” Kaito says with a casual laugh, poker face in place. 

“No, I don’t think that’s it...” Aoko continues to stare at him, before jerking back and pointing at him, “AH!” 

Kaito jumps as she does. If she yells like that, she’ll wake her dad up. “Shhh!” 

Aoko slaps her hands over her mouth. They both look up and listen. After a few minutes of silence they both let out a breath. Luckily, Ginzo-san doesn’t seem to have woken up. 

“What was that for, Ahoko?” Kaito hisses. “You’ll wake up the whole neighborhood!”

Surprisingly, she doesn't get mad at the comment, but giggles instead. “I finally get it,” she whispers back. “You’re lovesick, aren’t you Kaito?”

Kaito slaps a hand over his mouth so he doesn’t yell in surprise. Once he’s controlled himself, he finally speaks. “How did you-”

“So I was right! I thought you were tired, but you’re  _ pining _ aren’t you?” Aoko says gleefully. “I recognize that look. Saguru looked at Akako-chan and I like that in our third year.” 

She lets out a gusty, sweet sigh. Kaito doesn’t think it suits her. Plus, he knows that Aoko didn’t recognize Saguru’s feelings right away, and that she only knew about his feelings in hindsight. Furthermore, Kaito didn’t appreciate the comparison to Saguru. They’re nothing alike. 

“There’s no way I look like that Hakuba-yaro,” Kaito says flatly. “You eyes must be going bad.”

“Ah! That’s not denial I hear, Kaito~” she sing songs. “Go ahead, tell the experienced Aoko-neechan all about your love troubles.”

Ugh. Aoko could be oddly perceptive at times. She has this weird ability to make leaps of logic that others wouldn’t. Like now. How could she, who has no idea about his connection to last night's raid and his trip out, be able to discern that he’s thinking about Shinichi? 

His stomach twists and Kaito is about to deny that he has love troubles-

“I mean, if you tell me, ‘Aoko, I don’t have any love troubles,’ then I’ll let it go. However, all you have to say is ‘lend me your wisdom, Aoko-sama,’ and I’ll help you win this person over!” Aoko’s eyes are sparkling and the full force of her enthusiasm makes Kaito squint. 

Gah. Kaito has done his best not to lie to her since he’s become Kid and so he can’t bring himself to deflect for something like this. He doesn’t want to share his night with Shinichi with her, but if he doesn’t use her silly wording then she’ll know she was right. 

Since when was she this conniving? Kaito blames the influence of Saguru and Akako. (Although Kaito knows Aoko has always been clever and manipulative. But only in the same way that he is, not meant to hurt anyone, and Kaito has definitely done more manipulating than she has. It was only recently, when she was really worried that she would pull out all the stops.)

Answer her truthfully or don’t. The answer should be obvious- 

_ Talk to  _ ** _her _ ** _ at least? _

Akako’s voice came out so clearly in his mind that Kaito almost mistakes it for a spell. However, he knows his own mind and that it’s simply his guilt taking on Akako’s voice. It can’t be helped. 

Ugh, this is so embarrassing. Kaito can feel his cheeks heat up as he mumbles, “Lend me your wisdom, Aoko-sama.” 

Aoko is on him so fast he doesn’t realize what’s happening until the world is shaking. “I’m so happy, Kaito!” She chirps, shaking him back and forth. “Who is it? How did you meet? Tell me everything!” 

“I- I- ca-can’t t-talk-“ 

Aoko instantly stops shaking him. Kaito can see stars in his eyes and the whole room is spinning. Then there are two hands framing his face (squeezing his cheeks) and Kaito’s vision refocuses on Aoko’s smiling face. 

“Tell me!” She says again. 

Her eyes are shining and her grin is big and smug. Kaito hasn’t made her this happy- in awhile. Even though Aoko has a girlfriend and boyfriend to make her happy, he should also be making her happy. Kaito is Aoko’s best friend. 

Then he realizes, telling her about this one thing will make her happy. There’s a weight lifted off his chest that makes it easier for him to speak. Like, ‘after all the secrets, finally here’s something personal Kaito can tell her’. Kaito gently removes her hands from his face. 

“Ah, that's right. I met someone last night,” Kaito admits. 

Aoko covers her mouth as she squeals. She’s practically vibrating in her seat. “How did you meet?” She asks, almost breathless. “At a bar? You kind of smell smoky.” 

Kaito sniffs himself. “Really?” 

Wow, Aoko even noticed the fact he was near a fire. (A bar really?) How did she notice these little things, but not the fact that he’s Kid?

“Did you really meet in a bar? Kaito! Did you go out drinking?” She gasps. “Are they older?” 

Kaito holds his hands out. “Don’t go jumping to conclusions. I’ll explain.” He takes a moment, trying to figure out how much to explain. 

“I was driving and I happened upon a car that had broken down in the middle of nowhere,” Kaito starts, gauging Aoko’s reaction. She just looks at him eagerly, not asking why he was out for a drive so late. 

Kaito continues, “I pulled up and the guy inside was hot; he’s about our age, with a handsome face, and was wearing an incredible black suit. I offered him a ride, with no ulterior motives-” Aoko lets out a giggle at this like Kaito planned, “-But he didn’t trust me at first. I managed to convince him to let me give him a ride to the nearest convenience store.” 

“Oh, you were driving your motorcycle right? And his car was broken down? Is that how you got all smoky?” Aoko asks. 

Perfect explanation. “Yeah, that must be it,” Kaito agrees. 

“How good looking was he? As good as Saguru?” Aoko asks. 

“What! Definitely better!” Kaito immediately says. Kaito remembers raking his eyes up and down Shinichi’s form several times that night. He’s never done that for Saguru before. “A much prettier face, with black hair, clear eyes, and did I mention his body? Saguru’s never filled out a pants as well as that man, that’s for sure.”

Aoko giggles and pokes him in the stomach. Kaito lets out an unmanly giggle himself before continuing.

“It was kinda surreal? Just this good looking guy, stuck on the side of the road. He was wearing a suit, super formal, that made him look like a secret agent out of a movie. He was just that good looking. But he was also wearing a bowtie and suspenders, which was a bit dorky,” Kaito says fondly. “Thinking back on it, the dorkiness made him more approachable. I felt like I could offer my help to this guy and not get snubbed.”

“And then you had to drive him to the convenience store,” Aoko says, picking up the thread of the story. “It must have been such a hardship to have such a good looking man cling to you for the whole ride back to town,” Aoko teases. 

“Ha ha, right?” Kaito laughs, glad that Aoko gets it. If Kaito hadn’t been worried that Shinichi was a potential bad guy, he would have had the exact same reaction. 

“So what happened next?” 

“Well, I brought him to the convenience store and I waited for him to figure things out with his ride. He told me that it was too late for a taxi and his friends were busy.”

“And..?” 

“I invited him out for a meal,” Kaito admits. 

Aoko screams, high pitched and shrill, but not loud. Kaito holds his hands to his ears, it was like a dog whistle. “Not like a date!” Kaito tries to clarify. It had been for the sake of his investigation, not because Shinichi was a handsome stranger (although that did help). Although he can’t tell Aoko that. “I was just worried for the guy and he didn’t have anywhere to go.” 

“Oh, of COURSE, Kaito. Not a date. Aoko totally believes in you,” she says, unconvincingly. She doesn’t believe him. Hell, Kaito wouldn’t believe himself. “So he agreed and then you two went to dinner?” 

“Yeah,” Kaito mumbles. He feels a rush of heat in his cheeks. Looking back, it’s embarrassing to see how things sound to an outsider. However, he knows that they stayed in each other’s company for their own ulterior motives: Kaito trying to get information about the men in black, and Shinichi trying to find out Kaito’s reason for being in the area. At least by the end of the night, they had both proven to each other that neither of them were the men in black. 

Although now that Kaito thinks about it… Did Shinichi figure out that he’s Kaito Kid? No, it was unlikely. Kaito Kid and Shinichi have never interacted before and Kaito had been careful not to reveal too much about himself. He hadn’t even mentioned anything about being a magician. 

But if Kaito were to ever encounter Shinichi again, the other man could figure out his secret. Shinichi is sharp and he has access to resources that Kaito could only dream of. It’s just another reason why it wouldn’t work out between them. 

“And?” Aoko says, shaking Kaito out of his thoughts. 

“And we had dinner. Afterwards his friend picked him up and we separated. That’s all. I won’t ever see him again,” Kaito concludes, moodily. 

Aoko narrows her eyes. She’s definitely picked up on his change of mood. “Is that all?” She demands. 

“That’s all.” 

Aoko leans back. “Hmmm, well I guess the guy was no good then. He sounds terribly boring.”

Kaito thought back to how Shinichi solved the mystery with grace  _ and  _ went on a heist with him. “He wasn’t boring,” Kaito can’t help but say. 

“Really? He wasn't just some pretty but empty-headed guy?” Aoko says, doubt written all over her face. 

“What? No, definitely not just a pretty face.” Kaito says. That was definitely not Shincihi. 

“There’s nothing wrong with a good looking air-head,” Aoko says with a shrug. 

“No, that’s not-“ Kaito shakes his head and explains that Shinichi had been a kind, charming, intelligent gentlemen. He goes on to tell her how Shinichi had been clever enough to figure out that Kaito wanted to eat a chocolate parfait and ate a lemon one with him even though he didn’t like sweets. How Shinichi was smart and kept up with what Kaito was interested in. 

Aoko proves herself to be a great listener, staying quiet at the right moments, and asking perfect questions that has Kaito talking more and more about his night. Kaito finds himself circling back, telling her the smallest of details that he found endearing about Shinichi, like his Kamen Yaiba wallet. 

By the time Kaito finishes the story about the popsicles, they’re both laughing hysterically, trying to shush the other (and making each other laugh harder). 

“And- and there I was! Having to eat TOMATO and CELERY popsicles! I couldn’t refuse!” 

“Aoko-“ more laughter, “-would have loved to have seen the look on your face!” 

“So I had one in each hand,” Kaito mimes holding the popsicles, “And they smelled exactly like vegetables! Oh, it was terrible Aoko.” 

Aoko just laughs harder. 

“Then when he wasn’t looking, I tried them out,” Kaito licks the air. He won’t ever forget the smell, the taste, or the texture of those nasty things. And he remembers the exact, disgusted face that he had made. He makes the face for Aoko now, although he can't hold it for very long because he needs to laugh. “Aoko, never, ever eat those flavors! Ugh, the tomato was all salty and sweet and pulpy, and the celery was sweet but not sweet enough. And they tasted like the real thing! Which made it worse!” 

“That sounds like the worst! But now I want to try them,” Aoko says, still laughing. 

“You don’t want to. But if you do, then I want to be recording your reaction the whole time,” Kaito jokes. 

“No way,” Aoko playfully smacks his shoulder. “So? Did you toss them out when he wasn’t looking?” 

“What? No, I ate them.” 

“You ate them!” 

“I ate them,” Kaito confirms. 

“ _ You  _ ate tomato and celery popsicles.” 

“Well-“ Put it that way, Kaito can see why Aoko is skeptical. He never was for eating (or doing) what he didn’t want to. Especially when it came to bad desserts. “Well, if you eat them together they weren’t too bad. Tasted like a Bloody Mary.” 

Aoko snorts. “How do  _ you  _ know what a Bloody Mary tastes like?” 

“Why wouldn’t I know what it tastes like?” Kaito shoots back. 

“Please, you once ordered chocolate ice cream at a bar,” Aoko says. 

Right, that one time they went to the billiards bar to recover Jii’s pool cue. But that had been when they were seventeen. Not that their age stopped Aoko from drinking. 

“And don’t say it was because we were underage. You never drink if you can have sweets instead, and especially not something like a Bloody Mary,” Aoko says with a pointed look. 

Well she had him there. “Okay, yeah, that’s what Shinichi said and it turned out okay,” Kaito says with a shrug. 

Aoko looks at him oddly for that statement. Then her expression turns soft and fond. “I’m happy for you,” she says, out of the blue. 

Kaito scoffs. He doesn’t understand why she’s turned so serious all of a sudden. They were talking about vegetable popsicles not two seconds ago. “Happy for me? What do you mean by that?” 

“I feel like it’s been awhile since I’ve seen you so.. so light-hearted.” She looks away, “I feel like you’ve been stressed the last couple of years, but it’s gotten worse after I started dating Saguru-kun and Akako-chan.” 

“No, Aoko…” Kaito immediately denies. 

But it’s true in some ways. He had been more distant since she started dating, but that was only natural. She started spending more time with her lovers instead of Kaito. But even before that they had become more distant after Kaito was discarded as a potential romantic partner. However, he knew the root cause of their distance had to do with him becoming Kaito Kid. 

“It’s true,” Aoko insists. “And you haven’t been as happy.”

“Aoko…” 

“That's why I think we should find your man!” 

Kaito sputters, “Wha- he's not- that’s a dumb idea!” 

“It’s a great idea!” Aoko says. 

“It was only one night!” 

“You love him!” 

Kaito gapes at her. “Aoko!” Love?!?” 

Sure he had  _ a crush _ on the guy, but- but to have feelings for the man after one night? No, no. Whatever he felt, it isn’t enough to go find Shinichi. The other man is a detective and he’s Kaito Kid! It would never work out. 

“I want you to be happy!” Aoko says, hotly. “And this man makes you happy, so we should go find him!” 

Her eyes are blazing and she looks so determined that Kaito is afraid she’ll go storming out of the house to go find Shinichi right now. He realizes she’s not going to let this go. 

“I- I can’t-  _ we  _ can’t, Aoko,” he stammers. “Please don’t try and find him,” Kaito pleads. 

Kaito pleads, because he knows if he doesn’t then she’ll do it anyway. He needs her to understand that he doesn’t want to find Shinichi. That it will only end in heartbreak. That the one night is more than he imagined he would get while he’s Kaito Kid. He doesn’t want his memories of Shinichi to be tainted by the troubles in his life. (Even though that’s the very reason why they met.) 

With that in mind, Kaito resolves himself. 

“Besides, I don’t know if it was that serious,” Kaito says. He wants to convey that he really thinks it was a fun night, but only that. “You shouldn’t work yourself up over something like this,” Kaito continues, but leaves a slight edge to his voice so that Aoko will drop it. 

“He got you to eat tomato and celery popsicles, Kaito,” Aoko says gently. “That sounds like true love to me.” 

The lines sounds like they’re meant to be joking, but Aoko says it so seriously that Kaito can’t help but be moved. Unfortunately, Kaito knows where Aoko is coming from. Kaito has always been selfish, so even the people he loves have trouble getting him to do things he didn’t want to do. But they still could, that was the point of her line. Only those he loved could get him to do something he didn’t want to. 

However, Kaito knew that at this point no one (not his mom, Aoko, Jii, Ginzo-san, Saguru, or Akako) could make him stop being Kaito Kid. 

Not even handsome detectives named Kudo Shinichi. 

“And it sounds like this guy likes you too,” Aoko continues. 

“Huh?” 

Kaito refocuses on Aoko who’s looking at him like he’s something fragile. “You said he didn’t like sweets, but he bought the popsicles and ate them with you. At the restaurant, he ate a parfait. That was for you, right? So that means he must like you too.” 

Maybe. 

Kaito can’t fault Aoko’s logic. On the surface level at least. But Kaito knows that the two of them had been going with the flow of the night, trying to get information from one another. Every interaction they had had ulterior motives. 

(At least, that’s what Kaito reminds himself when he feels a flutter around his midsection at Aoko’s words.)

“Drop it, Aoko,” Kaito says with a shake of his head. He can’t stomach the conversation anymore. 

“But-“ 

“Please.” 

It’s the ‘please’ that does it. Anything else and Aoko would plow right over him and try and get her way. She pauses and then nods. Kaito almost sighs with relief. 

“You can tell me more about your night though, right?” Aoko tentatively asks. 

Kaito feels his lips quirk up. “Yeah, I can do that.” 

And Kaito resumes his stories. The atmosphere is no longer as light-hearted as it was before, but they manage to laugh. This time, Aoko adds in her own funny stories about dating Saguru and Akako. Kaito almost cackles over the blackmail material, but manages to keep his laughter to normal decibels. They talk well into the night, demolishing the rest of the chocolate cake along the way. 


	8. The Build Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The two put aside their feelings for more pressing matters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Word Count: ~4.2k

\-----

Kaito wakes up to a delicious smell and the sound of something sizzling. He moves slowly, his body sluggish. He doesn’t want to, he’s warm and pleasantly numb, but his stomach reacts to the smell of food. 

Hm?

In an instant, his body is alert and able to move. Kaito has to stop himself from sitting up. Instead he checks the condition of his body, twitching his fingers and toes. When they’re ready to perform, he slowly peels his eyes open. Ugh, they’re crusty and gross. He has to blink a few times before getting them open and is greeted with the sight of Aoko’s sleeping face. 

He jerks back and falls off the couch. 

“Ow!” 

“Oh! Kaito-kun! You’re awake!” 

Yeah, he’s awake; the fall woke him up. Kaito rubs his eyes (and his sore back) and gets up. He’s still at the Nakamori’s. He and Aoko must have fallen asleep on the couch. And Ginzo-san tucked them in?

“I tucked you two in when I saw how deeply you were sleeping,” the man says with a chuckle. “It’s been a long time since you slept over!” 

That was because the last time Kaito slept together with Aoko, they were kids and hadn’t hit puberty yet. The two of them hadn’t treated the other like siblings in a long time. Kaito wonders just how dense Ginzo-san can be. No wonder Aoko has no trouble dating Saguru and Akako. 

“You can let Aoko sleep in more. I have breakfast done, if you’re hungry,” Ginzo-san says. 

“Breakfast sounds great,” Kaito replies. He eases himself off the ground and throws the blanket over Aoko, before heading to the table. It looks like tamagoyaki, miso soup, and rice. Awesome. It has been a while since he got to eat Ginzo-san’s breakfasts. Aoko always insisted on cooking. 

The smell of hot food awakens his stomach and he finds himself demolishing the meal. 

“Help yourself to more,” Ginzo-san says brightly. 

“Thanks,” Kaito says before grabbing another serving. After a few more bites he finally notices that the other man isn’t eating. 

“You aren’t going to eat, Nakamori-keibu?” He asks. 

“I already had breakfast. I let the both of you sleep in after all!” He points to the clock. 

12:37pm

Kaito almost chokes on his food. 

“I hope you didn’t have any important classes!” Ginzo-san says with a laugh as if the situation is somehow funny. 

Kaito is about to scramble through the door and try to get to class (he can’t afford any more absences!) but stops and thinks about the time it will take to get there and his current class schedule. Luckily there isn’t anything important today (for him or Aoko) and even if he leaves now, he would only make it in time for one class. It isn’t worth it to run over there now. 

He feels a headache build up at the back of his skull. Just one thing after another. Didn’t he deserve a break?

Someone yawns behind him. 

“Good morning,” Aoko calls out sleepily. 

“Good morning, Aoko,” her dad calls back. 

She stumbles over, still rubbing her eyes. Then she perks up when she sees the table. “Oh yay! You made breakfast, otou-san?” 

“Yup! It’s for lunch!” He replies. 

Aoko does a double take at the clock. Then she shrugs. “There wasn’t anything happening at university today, anyways.” 

“Here you go,” Ginzo-san says as he serves Aoko some fresh tamagoyaki. 

“Yay!” 

Kaito looks at the two in irritation. These two. Seeing them laughing and taking it easy, it can be really annoying. They really have it easy, don’t they?

Maybe it’s time to fix that by dusting off the hat and cape. 

\-----

Kaito dives into the planning with Jii right away. Jii attempts to ask about his late night (maintenance on his motorcycle had revealed that he took a far away trip) and makes disapproving faces at him when Kaito keeps tight-lipped. Kaito tries not to feel guilty (he does) and only tells Jii the bare minimum: that he hadn’t been able to get close enough to the action and came back empty-handed. 

Kaito doesn’t want to keep thinking about that night. If he keeps thinking about it, he’ll go mad. He needs to put it behind him and remember the mission. (However, the smallest things remind him of Shinichi. From the cut of his suit, to a shade of blue that reminds Kaito of the man’s eyes.) Kaito shakes his head. He reminds himself why he became Kaito Kid in the first place: to learn more about the men who killed his father. 

Things have changed because of the raid. He doesn’t know if the men in black, if Snake, will come to the heists anymore. This upcoming heist isn’t just for Pandora, but to prove if Snake and his cronies have gone underground. If they’re still active, he’ll just have to do another heist. And another heist, and another one, until he gets more information. 

He’s got to make this one big and he’s got to make it grand. 

Kaito tells Jii that he needs a mega jewel that will be grandiose, a mega jewel that the men in black haven’t had a chance to go after. 

In the meantime, Kaito brushes up on his magic tricks. The planning and practicing distracts him from other thoughts. 

Eventually, Jii finds something.

“Ah bocchama, this one is…” 

“Let me take a look and I’ll tell you what I think.” 

Jii isn’t prone to moments of uncertainty, so this heist in particular must be dangerous. Kaito reads the profile of a wealthy man, who has just come into the possession of several artifacts, including a mega jewel. The man would be coming to Japan to claim his inheritance and is considering donating some of the artifacts to various museums. 

The picture shows a rather mousy man with a nervous disposition. He smiles shakily at the cameras, reporters trying to talk to him as he looks over his shoulders. 

“Seems normal,” Kaito comments. 

Jii pushes up his glasses. “Take a closer look at those guarding him.” 

Kaito does and sees normal bodyguards- but wait. All black suits. Hats, sunglasses, and scarves cover their faces. The way they’re positioned in the photo, making it look like they’re manhandling their charge. The man looks nervous and agitated at the men, as if he’s never had a bodyguard before…

“You don’t think-“ Kaito’s voice cracks.

Jii nods, face serious. “They match your descriptions of Snake and his men. And here, take a look.” 

Jii proceeds to show him a trail of evidence that Kaito can’t ignore. The mega jewel was in the hands of a private collector, is collection and what it contained never made public. After the owner’s passing, the inheritor decided to showcase the collection, confidently announcing the event. Only days later was he surrounded by bodyguards in black. 

“So after he revealed the fact that there was a mega jewel, Snake and his cronies, well, the men in black, went to secure the man who would inherit it, eh?” Kaito reasons. It doesn’t look good, them being out in the open. They must be desperate, and desperate men are hard to predict. 

Most likely, the men in black are going to steal this jewel, Pandora or not. If it is Pandora, maybe they could grab power in the current vacuum. Even if it isn’t, they could still sell the jewel. 

Kaito isn’t going to let them. 

He has a heist to plan. 

\-----

Today, Conan manages to get to school on time, although the only reason he does is because of the Detective Boys. Over the last couple of days, they've taken to picking up Conan and Ai. 

Both he and Ai have been lethargic and slow in school the last few days. They’ve spent all their free hours going over everything raided from the Crow’s nests. 

Fourth grade is still too simple for them, so they’ve been using school as their time to rest. They sleep in class if they can get away with it and still sleep even when the teacher may notice. Haibara has managed to get out of all their physical education classes and Shinichi is just athletic and experienced enough to breeze through most of those classes. 

They’re worrying the kids. The kids know well enough now not to butt into their private business when they ask, but also know they can take liberties when it comes to taking care of them. Genta, Mitsuhiko, and Ayumi nudge the two awake when the teacher comes by. They help take notes so that they know what’s happening in class. They cover for them in gym class. They even go to the bathroom in groups. 

Conan and Ai do their best to set aside some time to hang out with the kids, and it does loads to keep Genta, Mitsuhiko, and Ayumi from worrying too much. 

One morning, they pool together their change and purchase a nice loaf of bread to share. As Conan absently munches, he suddenly realises he’s happy. He’s so happy. The bread is a small thing and he wonders where the thought comes from but then he realizes that all these nice things are cumulative. There are so many good things in Conan’s life that makes his life great. Does he really want to turn back into Shinichi?

The idea haunts him for the rest of the day, especially now that Ai has dug out the information for an antidote. 

The kids are somehow even kinder to him today: running interference during class, helping him with lunch, and even walking him back to the Mori’s after school. Conan is overwhelmed by how good they are to him and he realizes there’s no way he can handle being Conan-the-kid right now, so he goes with them as they walk Ai home so he can go to the professor’s. 

At the professor’s he gets some peace, quiet, and a private place to have a crisis. The professor gives him space, while Ai ignores him. Well, she checks first to make sure that he won’t do anything reckless, and then ignores him. He doesn’t know if it’s impressive or pathetic that they know what he looks like when he’s about to break down. Pathetic, probably.

He’s face down on the couch, having a crisis about his existence when he receives a text message. He’s about to ignore it when he realizes that it’s from Shinichi’s phone. 

Grabbing the phone, he turns his head so only half of his face is smushed against the pillows. 

_ Shinichi _ ,  _ how have you been?  _

It’s from Ran. 

Conan sits up. Shinichi hasn’t talked to Ran since before the raids. 

His phone buzzes again: 

_ It’s been so long, can I call you?  _

Yes, he should talk to Ran. 

They had parted amicably a while back, but they’re still in the awkward stage where they’re trying to figure out how to be only friends. He can’t not take her call right now even though he’s having a crisis. He doesn’t want Ran to think he’s ignoring her. 

He calls her number and sets his bowtie to Shinichi’s voice. 

She picks up almost immediately. 

“Shinichi?” 

Ran sounds exactly like she did this afternoon when he left her to go to the professor’s. Something jumbles in his mind when he hears her speak. He’s always thought that she spoke differently to Shinichi and Conan. Is it good that she says both the names with the same amount of affection now? His mental state slides precariously towards unbalancing. 

“Ah, it’s me,” Conan says, Shinichi’s voice coming through the bow tie. He can’t let her know that he’s close to having a breakdown.

“Shinichi,” Ran scolds. “You haven’t messaged me in so long. I thought something was wrong again.” 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to make you worry,” Shinichi says. He really didn’t, it’s just that so much happened. 

“Mou,” Conan can practically hear Ran pout, “You’re always making me worry.”

A stab of guilt pierces him. He always feels guilty for making Ran worry (but never guilty for protecting her). 

He apologizes again and and that seems to satisfy her a little, so they begin to chat.

Lately, things have been looking up for Ran. A ‘mysterious relative’ had sent a very large sum of money to Ran’s personal bank account. The money has given Ran new freedom in her life, although she still stays with her dad and Conan. 

But it was a weight off her shoulders and she was no longer dependent on her parents. The financial freedom gave her the authority to be her parents’ equals. Ran’s old enough that she realizes that her parents won’t get together unless they want to, but she can now demand that they stop being so bitter to one another, especially when she’s trying to spend time with them. 

Now that she’s able to be independent from them, her parents realized that Ran can start distancing herself from them if she wants. They both clean up their acts immediately and do their best to get along. 

Not that she would leave, but both Eri-obachan and Kogoro-occhan are cynical and smart enough to realize that with so much money, Ran has no reason to stick around. As a result, they’re being very understanding and patient with one another. Ran wonders if it might lead to them to get back together again. Shinichi doesn’t offer his opinion, but he does think there’s a bigger possibility now. 

(When the Mori’s had speculated who gave Ran the money, the popular theories were: the Kudo’s, the Suzuki’s, one of Ran’s admirers, or someone Ran had saved during a case. The first two theories had been disproven, but without a lead, they couldn’t figure out who the person was.

He has a different theory. The timing of the money is very suspect, especially since the transfer had been done right after the raid. He has his suspicions that it was none other than Vermouth, transferring over some of the Crows funds after its downfall. She’s still at large and it seemed like something she would do. 

Although he doesn’t trust her, he doesn’t think it was done as part of a larger plot. It was more likely something she did on a whim, maybe even as a message to him that she’s still out there in the world.)

They talk and talk and Shinichi can feel the emotions that had been crowding his mind slowly clearing away. Eventually, though, they touch upon the subject that he has been hoping to avoid:

“Are you coming home soon, Shinichi?” 

He falls silent. He isn’t sure. His mission is finally over, but… 

Well, she deserves to know at least that much. 

“I don’t know about coming home, but the case I was working on, it’s closed now.” 

Ran gasps. 

He doesn’t elaborate. Ran is silent over the line, until: “Does this mean you’re coming back?” 

“I don’t know,” he admits. 

“You don’t know?” Ran says, incredulous. “Why don’t you know?” 

He’s sitting up now, a natural habit when he talks to Ran. He always likes to give her his undivided attention and he runs a hand through his hair in thought. This is exactly what he needs, to talk the issue out and Ran is the perfect person to talk to. Ran isn’t a detective, but she’s sensitive to his moods. She knows just what to do or say to change his way of thinking. 

He can’t tell her everything, but he can tell her the most important things. 

“I’ve been away for so long. I don’t know if I belong in my old life anymore,” he says. 

“And I built a new life,” he adds in a rush. “A good one.” 

Ran stays silent on the other line, although he could hear her moving and breathing. There are soft steps in the background, and he realizes that she must be pacing. He can imagine her now, back at home, walking the length of the hallway. It’s a habit she has when she wants to think, but doesn’t want others to know that she’s thinking and worrying over something. 

“Even if you have a new life, that doesn’t mean you can’t come back and visit Shinichi. And I think you’re being silly about not belonging. You’ll always have a home here in Beika and there are people who will love to see you again. Even if it feels like you don’t belong,” she says, softly. 

His brain shorts out at the logic.

It’s the perfect solution if the two lives he had weren’t separated by being Conan or Shinichi. She always was the smart one. What he wouldn’t give to have both lives… 

“It’s not that easy, Ran.” He wants to cover his eyes, give himself something to hide behind, but he has to use one hand to hold the phone and one to hold his bow tie. 

“So it’s impossible for you to merge the two lives together? Your two lives can’t interact?” Ran asks, incredulous. “Not even the great meitantei Kudo Shinichi can figure out a solution?”

Okay, now she’s just teasing him. 

It’s times like these that he wonders if Ran actually knows that Conan is Shinichi and is pretending not to know for his sake. 

Because she’s not wrong. It’s not impossible to attempt to merge his two lives together. But to do so, he needs to tell people about his secret. He doesn’t know how many people he’ll hurt when the truth comes out. 

Stay as Conan and he’ll keep all the new connections he’s made and the new life he’s created. But if he did, then no one could rely on Kudo Shinichi anymore. (He’s thinking about Ran, in particular. He never wants her to think that he abandoned her.) And if he attempts to explain to those that Edogawa Conan is Kudo Shinichi, he’s sure he’ll lose their respect. (Not to mention what will happen to Ai.) How would they ever trust him again?

Turn back to Shinichi and he could have all the perks of being an adult again. He could be friends with Ran, Sonoko, Heiji, Kazuha, and others closer to his age. People would take him seriously again. And there’s.. Kaito. 

But he wouldn’t have the same connections that he built as Conan, with the police or the Detective Boys. He can imagine their incredulous faces if he tries to explain that Conan is actually Shinichi. 

What a mess. 

He has to choose one or the other. Even indecision is a choice in this case. 

“You’re thinking too hard again.” 

He flops onto the couch and drops the phone so it’s next to his ear. Now he can sling an arm over his eyes and pretend that his whole life isn’t falling apart around him. 

“I always think too hard,” he replies. 

“Mou, you’re so stupid,” she chides, but there’s no malice in her voice, only worry (always worry). “It’s simple. What would make you the happiest?” 

Another hard question. But before he can mull over it for too long, Ran continues: 

“And because I know you, what would make you carry less guilt?” 

His stomach tightens and it feels like he can’t breathe. It’s like Ran just punched him right in the gut. For a moment, he wants to throw a childish Conan tantrum, but it wouldn’t help right now. 

“Ugh, Ran, how do you know me so well?” He asks, voice coming out a little bit whiny. 

“Stupid,” she says again. “I know you so well because I care about you. And because I know you so well, I know this choice is serious for you. What happened during your case? Did you meet someone?” 

“What! No- I- what?” He yelps. Why is her intuition so sharp? Ugh, he feels like a bit of Conan’s voice slipped in there too when he was stuttering. 

“You can tell me, Shinichi,” Ran soothes, as if talking down a wild animal. “I would be happy for you.” 

He knows he can, but it’s still awkward talking to Ran about romance. 

… On the other hand, this is Ran. Maybe no one else can understand as well as she can how he feels and how the decisions burn after he makes them. She knows how bone deep his emotions run and how serious he is. 

He can’t tell her all his secrets, but he can tell her about this one. 

So he tells her about Kaito. Not everything of course, but how they met. How they were two strangers that coincidentally found each other late at night. How Shinichi was on a case, but his car broke down, and a good (looking) samaritan had kindly offered him a ride. 

Ran patiently listens, gently prodding him with questions here and there to help him continue with the story. The words get easier with each sentence (even with the lies mixed in). 

Eventually he reaches the end, twisting the events so they’re not so fantastical. “Then I got called in for a case. An agent came to pick me up. We separated.”

It’s close enough to the truth. 

“And?” She demands. 

“And… I left.” 

“And did you contact him after you closed the case?” Ran says.

“...No.” 

“Why not?”

“...” 

“Oh,” she says, her voice getting soft. “Part of your ‘decision’ right?” 

“Yeah.” He sighs. 

Ran is silent on her side of the line. 

“Shinichi?” 

“Yes, Ran?” 

“Whatever you decide, just know that you’ll always have me,” Ran offers. 

“Thank you.” 

There’s silence over the line. He tries to find the words to thank her properly, tell her how much it means to him, but she speaks before he gets the chance to.

“You’d be the biggest idiot for letting him go, though.” 

He chokes, half-laughing, half in indignation. 

“It’s not every day that you find someone who interests you like this. You’d be the dumbest person ever if you didn’t try to find him again,” Ran says, quite seriously. 

He almost can’t take her seriously. 

“And don’t tell me you can’t,” she scolds. “You’re a meitantei, right? The only reason why you can’t find them is because you’re choosing not too. That would be stupid.” 

He doesn’t know how to respond, because she’s right, and they sit in silence for awhile, before she makes some excuses about needing to do some errands. They say their goodbyes and hang up. 

Conan flops down so he’s lying face up on the couch. He lets his phone fall somewhere on the cushions and lets go of his voice-changing bow tie so that it’s resting over his mouth. If he talks now, both Conan and Shinichi’s voice would come out. He finds it fitting. 

He rolls around on the couch, the bow tie falling off his face and onto the floor. 

Ran is right. He knows the path he’ll take in the end, because it’s right for him. He just wishes he didn’t have to make the decision so soon. Couldn’t he live a relaxed life where the Crows are gone? Just for a little bit? No troubles to be had because the bad guys are locked away? No life-altering decisions to make?

(Never for Conan/Shinichi. That isn’t how life works for him.) 

He ends up moping and sulking for the rest of the day until he needs to go back to the Mori’s for dinner. He’s back in time to help Ran, who’s looking very cheerful. Conan tries his best to match her enthusiasm and they have a nice, normal dinner. 

After that, Conan feels his mood lifting. The talk with Ran straightened him out, and he does his best to take care of himself, and influences Ai to do the same. They both take a step back from their work with the Crows, prioritizing what’s important and delegating the rest. The kids stop worrying so much, although they’re still being babied a bit. (Conan secretly enjoys it.)

However, Conan still hasn’t taken any steps for going down his chosen path. 

He just needs to accomplish a few things first. This is a big decision. What he wants is one final distraction before making it. 

Barely a day passes when the distraction comes from, surprisingly, Jodie-sensei.

“Yo, Cool Kid!”

“Jodie-sensei? What’s wrong?” He asks. She’s calling in the middle of the day when she knows he has school. He’s currently hiding out in the bathroom after the Detective Boys successfully distracted the teacher. 

“There’s a situation that’s been brewing. We wanted to bring you in for this one due to the number of possible targets and their final destination,” she says. 

Conan’s eyes narrow. They’ve been capturing individual members, but no large groups so far. “How many?”

“Over fifteen,” Jodie-sensei says, her voice grim. 

“Tch.” That’s much more than Conan had been expecting. It could encompass a whole branch of Crows. He’s going to have to plan for their capture carefully. 

“What’s their final destination?” He asks. That’ll decide a lot about this mission. 

Jodie-sensei hesitates and that’s when Conan knows something is up. “Well, you see cool kid…”

“Eh???” 

Conan never thought his distraction would come in the form of a Kid heist. 


	9. The Climax

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another heist.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Word Count: ~3.7k

\-----

“The media has received a heist notice from one, Kaito Kid. The phantom thief has planned a spectacular heist in the next three days. His target this time is the jewel called the Lazy River. A beautifully colored sapphire with a large impurity running through its middle. It’s said that its imperfection only lends to its beauty…”

Saguru peeks around the side of his newspaper to send phantom thief a look. 

“Well? Do you have any comments?” Saguru asks. 

“Ehhh?” Kaito drawls. “Why would I have any comments?” 

Saguru gives him an unimpressed look before returning to the newspaper. However, he continues to look at Kaito from the corner of his eye. Keh, the detective is way too obvious. Just because they are friends- friendly, didn’t mean Kaito is going to make it easy for the man. (Especially not this heist. In fact, he isn’t sure he wants Saguru to be at this heist. He’ll be a distraction.)

“You know,” Saguru says conversationally, “There was a different heist notice sent to the police.” 

No reaction. 

“Kaito Kid sent it earlier than his public one; it was oddly worded.” 

Kaito slurps loudly on his iced mocha. He ignores Saguru who’s eyeing him quite openly now, but the officer doesn’t pursue the matter any further. He wonders if it’s because he doesn’t want to openly discuss the contents of the private heist notice, where it contained information about the men in black. Surely someone of Saguru’s level could understand that this heist was about their capture. 

“You’ll let me know if- there’s any trouble?” Saguru says, stumbling over the words. 

Kaito turns to stare, but Saguru quickly moves his newspaper, blocking his face from sight. Despite not being able to see him, Kaito is sure that the other man is simply worried, not scheming. There’s a burst of warmth in Kaito’s chest; he appreciates the support. The fact that he’s offering his help for a heist (and not in a snide way) is such a big show of faith. 

Kaito will be sure to make use of the man’s help (his friend’s help) if he needs it. He’s sure that Saguru could become invaluable in the capture of the men in black. Actually, now that he thinks about it, there is one thing he wants to confirm. 

“Thanks, Saguru. There is one thing I wanted to know.” 

Saguru takes a peek at him and Kaito thinks he can see a hint of a flush on his cheeks. 

“This heist isn’t open to outsiders, right? There haven’t been any, oh, I don’t know, invitations to interested parties?” Kaito says, totally nonchalant. 

Kaito can see Saguru processing his question, running through the list of people that Kaito may be concerned with. “Suzuki Jirokichi is out of the country, he won’t be able to attend the heist,” the detective says, watching for Kaito’s reaction. 

Kaito doesn’t give him the satisfaction, his poker face is impeccable. “Oh, that’s good to hear. He always changes how the media portrays the heists.”

Saguru nods. Kid heists (or fake Kid heists) tend to turn into a media circus when Suzuki Jirokichi is involved. 

“Ah, to my knowledge, the Miss Suzuki Sonoko will not be attending the heist,” Saguru adds. 

Also good to know, and if he were a less careful man, that would be enough evidence for him to declare his goal settled. But he needs a little more information. 

Saguru’s lips quirk up. “Those should be the most troubling interlopers,” he says, going back to his newspaper. 

Kaito almost slips. He’s looking for a little bit more information, just a teeny, tiny bit more. Can’t Saguru just give it up without torturing him?

Kaito pouts at him. 

Saguru draws the silence out, before finally adding, “Well, Edogawa Conan, the Kid Killer, hasn’t been invited.” 

“That’s too bad, Kaito Kid could use competition,” Kaito automatically says, even though he’s secretly relieved. He has no doubt that Conan is smart enough to help him capture the men in black, but Conan is just a kid (a smart kid, too precocious for his own good, but still a kid). If he could help it, Kaito won’t let the men in black near Conan. 

With that, his conscience is clear and he can lead Saguru on a metaphorical, merry chase. 

All parts of his plans are in place. Now it was just time for the men in black to arrive. 

\-----

Conan comes to the heist openly and walks straight in. He received no invitation, but he figures with his reputation it’s easier to come in than wait until he’s spotted by the crowd and fussed over. 

The officers from the Kid Task Squad let him in. They neither welcome him nor push him away, although Conan suspects it’s because too many civilians have seen him and would cause a scene if they didn’t allow him to fulfill his role as the Kid Killer. There’s a nervous energy around the officers and he finds many of them watching over him, especially Nakamori-keibu when Conan manages to spot the man. Conan’s lucky that the inspector likes him (or maybe just can’t say no to him). Hakuba, in particular, gives him a pointed look. 

He keeps a low profile and acts like the grade schooler that most believe him to be. Almost everyone buys it, except for Hakuba. Hopefully the other detective won’t follow him too closely. 

When the heist starts, Conan keeps to the side as the Kid Task Force makes their first move into the building where Kid is supposed to appear. The officers move cautiously, which is a first. He has a bad feeling about this and he’s proved right a moment later when there’s yelling. Except when he looks inside it’s not the officers that are yelling, but the men in black being strung up in the eaves. 

Conan stares at them dumbly, watching the officers handle the men in black. Shaking his head, Conan tries to figure out what happened. He knew they were coming, but to actually see them here… He’s always thought of Kid heists as a- break from the men in black. He’s had his worlds collide before, but never like this. 

He realizes that he’s scared. His heart is beating harder than usual, his hands are shaky, and his breaths are short. It was one thing to have trained professionals who know what they’re getting into and have already been affected by the Black Organization work against them. It’s another to have those who are ignorant on the front line. 

One of the Division Two officers yells in triumph as he cuffs one of the still hanging Crows. 

Conan shakes his head again. He can’t allow himself to be distracted. These Crows are the distraction for the main leaders of this operation. The thief, and the Crows are more likely to be in the adjacent building. It would be simple for Kid to travel from roof to roof, skipping most of the men on the ground. And if the Crows were following Kid, then they too would setup in the other building. 

He slips away, hoping he’s not too late. 

\-----

Kaito dodges another frantic grab, twisting at the very last second to propel himself away. A net snags the man in black not a second later and Kaito moves away from the struggling mass. Kaito quickly looks around. This man had been the last of the pack, but there was no way there weren’t more. Odd though, they weren’t much more dangerous than the Division Two officers.

‘Click’ 

His body moves before his mind registers the sound and he throws himself sideways. The shot rings out and he’s quick to continue moving forward. An explosion bursts behind him, way too close for comfort, and he’s behind a corner when the building falls silent. 

“Why don’t you come out, thief?” A familiar voice calls out. 

Kaito grits his teeth, but he’s grinning not grimacing. Snake. He’s finally here. 

This is what he’s been waiting for. 

The rage and anger bubbles to the surface and makes him dangerously close to replying back, but he pushes it all down. Down, down, until all that’s left is his poker face. This isn’t the time to be emotional. He has to stay calm, perform his magic with a smile, and capture the man once and for all. When he has Snake trussed up and ready to be arrested, then he could give the man a swift kick in the head. 

(God, but all Kaito wants to do is shoot the man in the face with his card gun.) 

“No taunts tonight, thief? Are you scared?” Snake taunts. 

(The urge to shoot him grows stronger, but he pushes it down.)

Kaito Kid tosses out an inflatable dummy. A spray of bullets immediately blows the dummy into pieces. But he keeps his ears open for the telltale ‘click’ of an empty gun. 

When he hears it, he sprints out and he can see Snake’s eyes widen. The surprise only lasts for a second before the man is reaching to his side for- shit, another gun. Should he lead him into the trap or- no time. Kaito moves to tackle the man. He collides with him hard and with his added speed they go down in a heap. Kaito needs to handcuff him, maybe hit him while he’s down-

BANG. 

They both jump, even though it’s Snake who’s discharged his own gun- and shit that was way too close to his leg. Kaito can’t help but jerk back. 

It gives Snake just enough leverage to grab onto Kaito’s cape and pull. He yanks Kaito off of him as Kaito tries to keep the upper ground. They’re both struggling on the floor now, no sophisticated exchange, just a no-holds brawl. Kaito tries to cuff the man while simultaneously trying to slam Snake’s head into the ground, while Snake tries his best to beat the shit out of him. How did it come to this? And why does the Kaito Kid outfit have so much fabric to grab onto?

The gun goes flying during their scuffle and Kaito bats away a hidden knife. Now the fight will be decided by their strength and their fists. Snake has the advantage of experience and muscle. Kaito has speed and youth on his side, not to mention his magic. 

One of his flash bangs falls out of his sleeve (it’s an accident, but Kaito will roll with it) and Kaito manages to shield his eyes in time, but he takes a bad punch as a result. The flash bang goes off and Snake cries out in surprise. Kaito opens his eyes and blinks the spots out of them (this close, he’s still affected), but Snake is blind. He doesn’t feel bad (it is, in fact, very satisfying to see the man in pain) and uses the advantage to cuff the man and smack him around a few times too. 

He’s about to throw the man into one of his prepared traps, when he hears a gasp behind him. 

Out of the corner of his eye, Kaito sees another goon. Shit. The man reaches for a gun-

Kaito calculates his position and how long it would take to reach him. Thinks about the direction he’s facing and where they are-

The man in black raises his arm-

Kaito activates the trap. 

He only has a second to bend over backwards and when he does, a grappling hook goes whizzing over his head. 

“What the-”

The goon cries out in alarm as a net explodes over him, capturing him. The rope begins to reel itself back, pulling its struggling bounty with it. Kaito throws himself to the side, as the captured body hurtles towards him and Snake. He gets away in time, but Snake gets hit straight on, and is carried away. The men in black fall into the pitfall trap he prepared beforehand and he only relaxes when he hears the both of them hit the ground. They won’t be getting out of that pit anytime soon. 

The room is now relatively silent, no more sounds of fighting, gunshots, or explosions. Nothing but the sound of his harsh breathing. Kaito gulps mouthfuls of air, trying to calm down, but he can’t. The adrenaline is thrumming through his veins and his heart is still working overtime. He adjusts his hat and monocle with shaky hands. 

Kaito laughs- and stops when he hears how absolutely broken he sounds. This isn’t the laugh of a master thief that got away with his prize, but the laugh of someone going crazy. It takes the wind out of his sails and his body calms a little, though his hands are still shaking. He hasn’t lost control of his hands in a long time. Only amateurs got the shakes. 

With that thought, Kaito calms down completely and his hands are still. 

However, once he calms, Kaito can suddenly feel all of his aches, bruises, and broken bones all at once. 

Shit. 

His hands are a mess. There are bruises and cuts all over his fingers, his palms are tender, and even some of his knuckles are out of alignment. 

Shit, his hands are his most precious tools for magic shows. He _ needs _ them. He still has to finish this heist, he can’t back down now. 

Kaito carefully fixes his hands to the best of his ability, pulls himself together, and shakily makes his way to the roof. 

\-----

When Conan sneaks into the adjacent building, he’s not sure what to expect. It’s abandoned, someplace Kaito Kid can hide while preparing for the heist. He doesn’t expect to come upon a similar scene to the one he just left. There are Crows comically captured in traps all over the building. It’s such a different sight than he’s used to from the smooth-operating organization. 

After a quick note to the FBI, they’re quick to fill the building and he doesn’t feel bad about sneaking away when he hears Jodie-sensei take over. 

Carefully, he makes his way through the building. There could still be active traps and he spots signs of a gunfight. However, he starts to run when he spots a trail of blood on the ground leading up to the rooftop. 

Turning a corner- Conan rams face first into someone. 

He bounces off the man, shit, a Crow that hasn’t been captured. 

The man swipes at him and Conan jerks back. His glasses are smacked off his face, knocking them away. There’s no time to worry about them. Conan jumps back and releases a soccer ball from his belt. There’s a flicker of surprise in the Crow’s expression, just enough of an opening to charge his shoes and smash the ball straight into the man’s face. He goes down easily with a clatter. 

A gun falls out of the man’s hand. 

Conan’s heart leaps and he can easily imagine Kaito Kid, bleeding to death on the roof. He sprints to the roof, following the blood trail. When he throws the door open, Kaito Kid’s white form is stark against the dark sky. 

He can’t even get a word out before he sees Kid collapse to his knees. 

Racing forward, he manages to catch Kid before he falls onto the ground. Conan slowly lowers the man to the ground. 

He immediately takes stock of the situation, sees the blood standing out against the white suit. Where is he hurt? Has he been shot?

“Shinichi?” 

Conan is violently shaken out of his thoughts when he hears the name, from a familiar voice. 

Kaito Kid stares up at him, eyes glazed, smiling. His hat falls off, hitting the ground, and the monocle slides off, revealing an all-too familiar face. 

\-----

Kaito manages to drag himself up to the roof. He doesn’t remember most of the journey, but when he binks, he realizes he’s there, the wind blowing against his face. 

Is he dying? No, he’s almost died plenty of times before and it hasn’t felt like this. He is, however, in an immense amount of pain and because he’s in no immediate danger, his body starts to shut down on its own. He’s falling and he can’t stop himself. The ground is coming closer, but he can’t stop himself. His body isn’t responding, and so he’s falling and helpless, unable to do anything about it. 

Someone catches him. 

There are warm hands grabbing hold of him and lowering him to the ground. He blinks to clear his vision, but his head is spinning, and when he looks at the person who caught him-

He must be hallucinating. Or maybe he’s already unconscious and he’s dreaming, because why would Shinichi be here, saving him no less? That’s too fantastical to be true. Or maybe Kaito is dying and this is a vision to ease his passing. That makes more sense than having Shinichi catch him in the nick of time. 

“Shinichi,” he manages to croak out. If he’s dying then he wants to enjoy the hallucination in front of him. 

“Kaito,” Shinichi breathes. 

After all his fantasies of being in Shinichi’s arms, Kaito has to admit that the reality is somewhat.. lacking. For one, Shinichi feels a lot less solid, than he imagined. Smaller, and his voice is different. Kaito closes his eyes, just for a moment to let them recover, and then opens them and sees Shinichi- but on tantei-kun’s face?

Kaito tries to shake his head, clear the image, but gets dizzy from the motion. Shinichi/Conan steadies his head. 

“Shinichi?” He asks again. 

Shinichi/Conan nods. “Ah. It’s me, Kaito.” 

Suddenly a lot of things start making sense with the boy. However, his brain is too scrambled to understand how or why he’s here. Kaito is too tired to think. Maybe he could relax because Shinichi/Conan is here…

He starts to relax into the arms of the one holding him and they tighten around him. 

“Oi, Kaito. Get a hold of yourself,” Shinichi says. “I know it’s over, but you have to stay awake.”

“It’s over?” Kaito repeats. 

“That’s right. I’m rounding up the rest of the Black Organization now. You did it.” 

“I see…” Kaito says, even though he doesn’t quite understand. Black Organization? He’s never had a name for the men that killed his father. Is that who he’s been pursuing all these years? But if Shinichi says so… If secret agent Shinichi says that he’s done it, that it’s over, then Kaito will believe him. Even if it’s not true. 

Kaito has been waiting for a very long time to not be alone in his endeavor and finally on the day he needed it, on the day everything is supposed to end, here is Shinichi by his side, holding him up. It makes him want to trust Shinichi- hell, he does trust Shinichi. Sometime between them meeting, the death in the restaurant, and the heist- no, even before then. Things have been building between him and Shinichi/Conan and this is the conclusion. 

Kaito thinks about all the secrets he’s kept and how he might finally be able to share them with someone. With Shinichi. 

There’s a complicated feeling welling up in Kaito. 

“I guess we should have talked sooner, eh? Meitantei?” Kaito comments lightly. The both of them have been playing their roles for _ years _. There’s no small part of him that wonders what would have happened if things had been different. 

“It worked out like this,” Shinichi says, with a rueful smile. “The- the stars aligned the night we met.” 

Kaito blinks. What a fanciful way of describing their meeting, very unlike the meitantei- oh, Kaito understands now. Something special bloomed between the two of them that night. But Kaito had thought it had been one-sided. 

This is Shinichi’s way of saying it wasn’t. 

Kaito’s heart skips a beat. 

“The moon is beautiful tonight,” Shinichi murmurs, out of the blue. 

“The moon is always beautiful,” Kaito’s mouth automatically supplies. Dumbly, once he realizes what Shinichi just said. Is he saying… 

Shinichi clears his throat. 

“Stupid. What I’m trying to say is- You once said to me that a detective was just a critic to an artist. Well, maybe you were right. Maybe… I am like the moon to your sun. I can only shine when you’re there. Therefore… you can deduce that I always want to be by your side,” Shinichi says, staring into his eyes. 

The intensity of his gaze almost makes Kaito look away. How did he not realize what Edogawa Conan was? Who he is? 

Kaito rapidly blinks, trying to clear his watery eyes. For all of his popularity, he has never gotten such a heartfelt and sincere confession. And to receive one from someone who knows. Knows about Kuroba Kaito and Kaito Kid- he can hardly believe it. 

Kaito swallows, but his mouth is dry and he can’t speak. But he needs to because he needs to reply to Shinichi’s words. Tell him that he returns Shinichi’s feelings. 

“Is that your idea of a confession?” Kaito says instead. Years of secret-keeping and habitual poker face keep him from saying what he actually wants to: ‘I love you, you’re perfect. Where have you been all my life?’ It’s too soon, too much. Kaito has always been too much. 

Shinichi looks away for only a moment. He’s embarrassed, but instead of denying Kaito’s words, he says, “Of course, Kaito. You should know I only deal in the truth.”

No hesitation. The delivery strikes an emotional blow.

Maybe he really should say ‘I love you.’ He’s never met a more perfect person than in this moment. But never let it be said that Kaito isn’t a genius at ruining the mood. 

“Well, maybe I got you wrong this whole time. You’re not just a detective, you’re a thief too,” Kaito says. 

“What?” 

“Because you stole my heart.” 

Kaito expects a smile and a scoff. Maybe a playful hit, but what he doesn’t expect is for the words to startle a laugh out of Shinichi. The sound is clear in the silence of the rooftop and Kaito drinks in the sound. God, is his laugh striking. Kaito has known this man for years, but his smiles (not smirks), let alone his laughter, is a very rare thing for him to experience. It feels good to be the reason to make him smile and laugh. 

And Kaito has no doubt that his feelings (no matter how corny) came through from the soft flush on Shinichi’s cheeks. 

Shinichi readjusts his grip on him and gently runs a hand through his hair. The warmth of the gesture feels like a promise for things to come. 

END

**Author's Note:**

> Author's Note: Hope you enjoyed it :) There is an immediate sequel to this, just a few things to wrap things up. That will take me a little more time than this one. I also made this into a series, because I'm tempted to write some side-stories (like for Akako/Aoko/Saguru). Let me know what you think~


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